Super Mario: Essence of the Soul
by BloodyHarpy
Summary: Mario and gang must face a familiar enemy back anew while their love, friendship, and trust hang in the balance as they search for a weapon that could either save their world or leave everything to oblivion. Rated T for language and blood.
1. Chapter 1

(Disclaimer: I do not own Mario, his games, or any of the Mario characters. They all belong to Nintendo. The OCs belongs with me.) Enjoy!

**___**

_Many years ago, an unknown, evil entity attempted to conquer the Mushroom World and obtain the power of the stars that protected them. The metallic lord, with his legions of machines and weaponry, invaded this dimension, terrorized the citizens, and seized their homes. Their plans would have been successful if not for the heroics of the famed hero of the Mushroom World, and his group of companions. With their combined powers and determination, they destroyed the metallic lord and his factory, and restored the land where wishes come true. With their final farewells, the stars returned to the world in the heavens, and continued to protect their world and their dreams. _

_Several years later, a new story shall begin… _

___

**Essence of the Soul**

Chapter 1: The Shattering Sky

Far in the east lay the country of the Toadstools, the Mushroom Kingdom. In the capitol city, Toad Town, the small mushroom people enjoyed the warm, fragrant afternoon while carrying along with their peaceful lives.

Sitting on the edge of the fountain in the central hub of the town, the Mario brother clad with a green shirt and cap, Luigi, was waiting patiently for someone to meet him. He started to hum a soft tune to himself as he decided to take a coin from his pocket. For a moment, he closed his eyes and when he was ready, he tossed it into the fountain's water to make a wish.

"Luigi!" a voiced called out. He quickly turned around and put a smile on his face. Walking towards him was his older, yet shorter brother in a red shirt and cap, Mario.

"Thanks for waiting for me, bro," said Mario.

"No problem. I was just making a wish in the fountain."

"Oh, really?" Mario chuckled, "What did you wish for?"

"I can't tell. You know the whole saying." Mario simply smiled and lightly shook his head in laughter.

"Anyway, you said we had to do a job here today, right?" Luigi asked while scratching his black mustache.

"Right."

Mario brought out a red toolbox with many of their wrenches, ratchets, as well as his wooden hammer. "Many neighborhoods are having trouble getting water to run through their faucets. There's most likely a problem in the pipes in the sewers around the hub."

"Well then," said Luigi as he fixed his cap and cracking his knuckles, "we should get to work."

As Mario and Luigi were about to head out, they heard a voice shouting, "Master Mario and Master Luigi!"

Behind them, two Toad soldiers marched up to them and gave a formal salute in their presence. "Greetings. I bring you a message from Toadsworth in Toadstool Castle. He requests an urgent audience with you at once. Will you accept?"

The brothers were very surprised for this was so sudden and they were right in the middle of going to work. Mario looked at Luigi, who was waiting for him to make the decision. He turned his head back and after a few seconds, he opened his mouth and said, "I suppose we can put our job on hold for a couple of minutes."

"If that is your decision, we shall lead you to the castle."

The two guards held up their spears and began marching north of the town with the Mario Brothers following closely behind.

___

After a few of minutes, the Mushroom Castle came into view behind the buildings in the background. The splendid white brick walls gave the castle a unique luster as the sun's rays were reflected. The red pinnacles towered over the common houses of the town and they seemed to touch the sky. As they walked through the gates pass two other guards into the castle grounds, the green gardens and majestic waterfall brought an enchanting beauty that could only match the castle itself.

Mario and company finally entered and up on the steps in the grand foyer, Peach's attendant, Toadsworth, was there to welcome them.

"We have returned with the Mario Brothers, sir," said one guard as both kneeled down.

"Thank you," Toadsworth replied. "You are dismissed."

With that, the two guards left for the other the room and Toadsworth slowly walked down the steps before Mario and Luigi.

"Welcome, young Masters," Toadsworth began as he reached the bottom step. "I am so sorry to bring you here on such short notice, but I need speak with you on a most desperate matter."

Both Mario and Luigi stared at each other and just smiled at the elderly steward. "It's alright, Toadsworth, but just what is this urgent meeting about?" Mario wondered as he put down their toolbox.

There was so much anxiety running through Toadsworth's thoughts which made the two plumbers uneasy as he slowly lowered his brown spotted cap with his hand behind his back and cane firmly on the ground. "Young Masters," the steward began, "Recently, her highness received a letter from Princess Daisy of Sarasaland."

"Princess Peach and Daisy?" asked Luigi who became excited at the mention of his desert princess's name.

"Yes, but in her letter, Daisy was pleading for help. It had left the princess fraught with worry and may have snared her into great danger…"

_____

_Toadsworth recalled the day Princess Peach received the letter. In her hands, with every word she read, her eyes became more frightened and filled with despair. _

"_This is just terrible," Peach whispered under her breath. _

"_What is the matter, princess? What is written on the letter?" Toadsworth inquired._

"_Daisy… she... her kingdom… is falling into ruins!"_

"_What?! That is preposterous! Say it isn't so, princess!"_

_But Peach simply shook her head and widened her eyes as she continued reading. _

_**Dear Peach, **_

_**A catastrophe has struck my kingdom. An omen had befallen us as the sky shifted into a miserable darkness. And then… It's so hard to explain. Before we could realize what was happening, a full scale attack rendered us helpless. All we know is that something enormous appeared out of nowhere when this madness started. Now, only my city and the castle are our last lines of defense. Our army is losing strength and our numbers are diminishing. **_

_**Please, Princess Peach. Aid us in this battle and help me rescue my people and Sarasaland!**_

_**Your best friend,**_

_**Daisy**_

_Once Peach was finished, she handed the letter to Toadsworth so he could read it for himself. She walked over to her throne and sat down while she rubbed her forehead to ease her headache and frustration. Toadsworth evaluated Daisy's letter and saw that her highness spoke the truth. _

_Both Peach and Toadsworth hung their heads for a brief minute. "What do you plan to do, my princess?" said Toadsworth as he broke the silence._

_Peach continued to sit with her hand on her head. So many thoughts were going through her mind. She wanted to help Daisy in any way that she could, but she didn't want to send her soldiers into a battle that they could not possibly win and lose their lives, and neither side knew the identity of these terrorists. Toadsworth repeated his question, so Peach had to give her answer. She rose up from her throne and looked at Toadsworth with stern eyes. "We will gather our forces and join Princess Daisy in her battle."_

_It was no surprise that the elderly Toad would have a dismay with Peach's decision. "Princess, do you understand the actions you are willing to take? I do not wish to undermine your decision, but this is ludicrous! How can we send our men to combat against an unknown threat?"_

"_You don't have to worry about that because I will lead them into the battlefield."_

"_PRINCESS PEACH!! You cannot simply put your life on the line so recklessly! If you truly wish to lead an army to Sarasaland, have a more suited leader take charge." Despite Toadsworth's rage as he argued against the princess, a sudden thought came to him. "Princess, if you wish to bring reinforcements to Princess Daisy, why not let it be Mario and Luigi?" Upon hearing that suggestion, Peach once again turned to Toadsworth with saddening eyes and lightly sighed. _

"_That won't be possible. Mario and Luigi have left the kingdom on vacation and won't return for a few days. And besides…" Peach paused as she moved her eyes down. "I do not wish to put Mario and Luigi into any kind of danger once again for my selfish wishes."_

_He didn't expect Peach to say such a thing. It made feel uncomfortable and guilty to have considered the idea. He stared up at her face which was looking at the side. "Princess, forgive me," he spoke silently. "You are right. We must settle this affair now with our own hands. The choice is up to you and I will follow it graciously."_

_Princess Peach slowly faced him with a look full of gratitude yet straight with discipline. "So it is decided. Sound the alarm and rally the soldiers! We will make preparations and leave for Sarasaland at dawn!" _

___

The grand foyer had nothing but silence as the Mario Brothers reflected on Toadsworth's tale. Mario clutched his hand in anger while Luigi held his stomach as he felt uneasy.

"I can't believe this happened and we weren't there for her. We would have gladly fought if we had known earlier," said Mario as he squeezed his hand tighter.

"Peach is very brave though. But, I'm also worried about Daisy." Luigi went over to Toadsworth. "Do you know what happened to them afterwards?"

Toadsworth shuttered at the thought and quietly went up the steps to the second floor leaving the two plumbers in their own confusion. Before going into the next room, without turning around, he whispered, "That is exactly the problem." Still not understanding the old mushroom's words, Mario took their toolbox and both quickly followed behind into the next grand room. "Wait!" Mario tried to stop the steward. "What do you mean? Just what's going on?" Toadsworth paused in the middle of the room. His eyes became troubled and the brothers instantly knew that something was terribly wrong.

"The princess had left the kingdom for approximately 5 days now. But…" his lips began to tremble, "we've yet to receive any kind of notice from neither her majesty nor Princess Daisy ever since." Mario and Luigi jumped at the shock of his explanation. Mario's eyes wavered across the room while Luigi's jaw dropped very slightly. Toadsworth put his weight on his cane and covered his face with his other hand, whimpering under his breath. "Young Masters… I fear the worst. And it would have been by my hands because I neglected to properly advise her highness."

While still sobbing over his hand, Mario slowly strolled towards him and put his hands on Toadsworth's shoulders, staring into his small black eyes. "Peach and Daisy are both strong women. I'm sure they are both alright. We'll look for them, and help stop whatever force is threatening Sarasaland." The distraught mushroom pulled his hand away and saw Mario's confident smile which overwhelmed him. Toward Luigi who had crossed his arms, he also gave a small smile and nodded. The old attendant felt more assured and stood up his more proper position.

_**BOOM!!**_

Suddenly, the castle started to shake and rubble fell from the ceiling. Mario and company fell from shock, but slowly got back up on their feet.

"What the heck was that?!" Mario shouted against the sounds of explosions.

"Is there an earthquake or something?!" Luigi guessed as he held his head to protect his skull.

They lights gave out in an instant. Then a mushroom guard burst through the doors with his uniform burnt and scrapes on his arms and face. "Sir! The castle is under attack! It's the Koopas!"

"What?! Bowser and his army?!" Toadsworth replied.

"Yes! They've surrounded the four walls and they are also attacking from above!"

"Man! Bowser has picked the perfect time to cause trouble!" Mario scoffed as he gritted his teeth.

Outside the castle, a battle was indeed taking place. In the garden, multiple Goombas and Koopa Troopas fought against the castle guards who wielded long spears and swords. In the sky, Paratroopas and Fly Guys bombarded the roof and castle grounds with Bob-ombs and shot with Bullet Bill cannons. Toad Town wasn't spared from the destruction as many Koopatrols stormed the streets and held shops, homes and the general public under arrest, threatening to attack anyone who resisted. Buildings were being set on fire and the streets were getting blow up and broke into rubble.

Mario couldn't stand around doing nothing while the Koopa Army was demolishing everything. He took the red toolbox from earlier and pulled out his treasured hammer. He took two large wrenches and threw them to Luigi. "C'mon bro! Let's stop these guys in their tracks!" Being just a little hesitant, Luigi took both wrenches into each hand, and nodded to his brother.

They were both ready charge out of the castle when there was another crash. Up at the ceiling, a piece of the roof was blown off, leaving a large gaping hole that let a beam of sunlight shine in the room on the sun carpet. A mysterious silhouette appeared inside the hole, flying in a helicopter vehicle. A gruff laughter echoed in the party's ears as the shadow flew closer. "I bet you weren't expecting this, were you, Mario?" it taunted. Mario narrowed his eyes for he knew exactly who it was. The silhouette cleared in the darkness of the room and jumped out of the clown car.

With his large fangs, Bowser smiled.

There was a great intensity in the room as Bowser looked at the two tiny plumbers and steward who gave him malicious stares. Mario put his hammer on his shoulder and grinned. "Actually, I am quite surprised, Bowser. It's nearly the end of the month and this is will be your first attempt. I think you're getting a little lazy."

Bowser couldn't help but laugh again. "Gwa ha ha ha ha!! Well, well. I do have a life that doesn't involve trying to take over the world you know. I was expecting you two would be here like always, but it doesn't even matter now. I have already seized the city. The castle will be in ruins. All that is left is for me to kill you two, and take Princess Peach as my prisoner!" His irises glow a murderous red as he raised his hand and cracked his knuckles, threatening to kill them with his sharp claws.

Luigi stepped up waved his finger. "You know, you're actually a little late for that last part." Bowser turned to him as he raised his eyebrow. "You see…Peach isn't here right now."

Bowser's pride was suddenly shot by Luigi's words and the expected anger erupted from him. "What did you say, you spineless nobody?!!" Smoke began to steam out of Bowser's nostrils as he drew closer to the brothers.

"It's exactly actually what he said, King Bowser," Toadsworth bravely interjected. "Her highness… is gone."

Bowser grunted and then grinded his fangs. He looked up at the hole of the roof and shouted, "Kammy!"

In a few seconds, the wicked old Magikoopa draped in purple robes flew inside with her broomstick. "You called for me, you Nastiness?"

"Yes. Didn't our reconnaissance state that Princess Peach was here a few a days ago?"

"They did. But before the invasion, there was another recon and they discovered Peach was not present. Your son was supposed to deliver this to you. Did he not do so, your Massiveness? The room became silent. It was obvious that Bowser messed up when he began to sweat behind his head.

He spun around quickly and coughed with his hand over his mouth. "Well, uh, whether or not Peach is here is beside the point," said Bowser trying to make excuses. "We can always find her later. Right now, you plumber freaks are the main objective of this attack. When I get rid of you two, there will be no one left to stop me during my take over!"

Mario quickly took his hammer and Luigi gripped his wrenches. "Not goin' to happen, Bowser!"

All four fighters readied his or herself in battle stance. Toadsworth backed away to not interfere. Neither side took their eyes off one another. The room was quiet with nothing but the sounds of the battle outside coming through the walls.

After another rapid shake on the castle, Bowser used the distraction and breathed a blast of fire in Mario's direction, but Mario was too fast and jumped out of the way, ready to use the jump to stomp on Bowser's head. However, the Koopa King puts up his arms hoping to impale Mario's foot with his spiked bracelets. Luigi reacted by throwing one wrench like a boomerang at Bowser's face, but then Kammy Koopa raised her wand and threw a spell to knock the spiraling wrench out of the way, leaving Mario still aiming for Bowser's spikes. He acted quickly and swung his hammer against Bowser's arms, avoiding serious damage and jumped off back in front of him.

Mario smiled and said, "Not bad for the first round." Bowser returned the mutual thought as he smiled.

Kammy started this time and waved more magic blasts at the brothers. Luigi summoned his Thunderhand and threw lightning orbs to cancel the attack. In the smoke from the two energies colliding, Mario rushed in and punched Kammy in the stomach and used his foot to spin and slammed her with the hammer, sending her crashing into the wall. Bowser retaliated by slashing his claws at Mario, making him awkwardly dodge backwards. He managed to give Mario a wound on his left arm and he grazed his face on the carpet upon falling.

"Mario!" Luigi yelled.

He tried to help his brother up, but Bowser swiped his tail and spitted up a few fireballs, keeping Luigi back, and then he blew another blast of fire at the plucky red plumber. He rolled to the side, leaving his wooden hammer to get charred into ashes. With his left arm injured, Mario had to make use of his right one. He gathered energy from within himself and his glove began to combust into flames. The Koopa King launched more fireballs at him. Mario jumped and dodged the flames in midair. With one quick move, he unleashed his new Firebrand technique, "Flame Punch!" and attacked Bowser right in the chest, twisting his arm on impact. Bowser tumbled on the ground while Mario landed softly on his feet. Luigi hurried over to his twin to check his arm where the wound had some blood staining the left sleeve.

Before they could relax, Bowser and Kammy staggered to their feet, grunting and panting on their way up. Bowser rubbed his chest where he received a great deal of damage. In his frustration, he let out an ear piercing roar. "GRRRAAAARR!! Damn you! I will not be humiliated liked this! I'll be sure your deaths are miserable and nothing but pain!" The Mario Brothers held their ground, waiting for the next attack.

Before the battle could continue, the castle began to shake more erratically than ever before.

"What is wrong with those soldiers? I can't fight with this much racket going on!" said Bowser trying to keep himself from falling.

"This vibration can't possibly be coming from our minions!" Kammy inquired.

"I've had enough of this!" yelled Mario, "Just what are you planning?"

"I'm not doing anything, fool!" Bowser defended himself.

Kammy called for her broomstick and flew to the hole created earlier. When she looked up at the sky, she had almost lost her balance from the site of it. "What's going on out there?" Bowser demanded. Mario, Luigi, and Toadsworth looked up at the decrepit Koopa, waiting for her answer. The vibrations were becoming even worse. "Kammy!" Bowser repeated himself.

"S, something… is ripping… through the sky…" Kammy trembled as she finally spoke.

Everyone was completely confused at what Kammy was trying to say until the same mushroom guard sluggishly walked into the room. "T, Toadsworth," the guard rasped in his throat, "a giant… f, flying… is attacking… city." Then the guard collapsed on the ground. Toadsworth quickly walked over to help him, but suddenly, his body began to give a faint glow. Suddenly, a light seeped out of the guard's body. The startled Toadsworth threw himself back and everyone gasped when the light reshaped itself into a glowing orb with a crystal inside.

"What the heck is that?" Luigi pointed at the strange object. Before they could figure it out, the orb floated away through the wall. Toadsworth tried waking up the guard but no matter how hard he shook him, the guard wouldn't open his eyes and his pink, tan skin discolored into a pale green.

Bowser was about to take all that he could from these events. He whistled for his clown car and hopped inside. "Mario," he called out and got everyone's attention, "Count yourself lucky. We will resume this battle after I determine what has happened." Bowser made his way to the hole in the ceiling with Kammy Koopa following right behind him.

Mario was also determined to find out what was taking place. "Guys, let's-a go to the balcony. We have to see what's going on." He ran up the curved stairs to the third floor with Luigi carrying the fallen guard and Toadsworth hastily walking behind them. Down the corridor, Mario and company looked for the door that led to the balcony. In a few moments, the door was right before them. Mario opened it, and the party ran up to the railing, and in front of them they saw the situation was worse than they could have ever imagined.

It was just as Bowser said. The invaded town was put ablaze, rooftops smoking from the fires and in the distance, they could hear the citizens screaming in a panic. "This is just terrible," Luigi whispered while traumatized. Down in the gardens of the castle, the grass was torn apart and potholes from explosions were everywhere. The trees had fallen over and the pavement was cracked. Many of the Toad guards and the Koopa Army were exhausted, defeated, or killed, but almost all of them were doing nothing but staring at the sky. The old steward was the first to move his head upwards and chills were sent down his spine as he gasped in fear. The two brothers noticed his reaction. At last, Mario and Luigi could finally witness the phenomenon which had terrorized their home.

___

The clouds had darkened and the wind became violently strong. Up in the sky, a vortex was swirling and an enormous metal object was forcing its way through.

"Wha…what _is_ that, Mario?" Luigi asked, hoping his older brother would know.

"I… don't…" he said, never taking his eyes off of it.

All of a sudden, the sound of helicopter blades caught them off guard. Bowser and Kammy had returned with a group of Paratroopas and Fly Guys flocking around him. Mario was ready to fight him again, but Bowser paid no attention to the red plumber, but rather, the metal object ripping the sky turning to the party of three, he murmured, "I have no idea what this thing is but its ruining my takeover on the castle. So…" The Paratroopas and Fly Guys pull out their Bullet Bill cannons and Bob-ombs. "We're going to blow that thing out of the sky, and then we'll get back to business!" he smirked.

"King Bowser, stop! You have no idea what you're getting in to!" Toadsworth tried to warn him.

Kammy lifted her wand and pointed it at him. "Be quiet, fool! Do not question his Awfulness!"

His troops waited for his command and with one yell, "CHAAAARRGE!!" the Paratroopas and Fly Guys flew to uncertain danger.

As fast as they could, the troops locked and loaded their weaponry and one from the squad order them to fire. A bombardment of homing Bullet Bills and lit-fused Bob-ombs directly soared to the foreign object and hit right on target. It seemed everyone in the castle grounds and in the city held their breaths as they waited for the smoke to clear. But, when it did, every person's heart dropped from their chest. The metallic entity was still there, undamaged. The squad was paralyzed and they had almost used all of their ammo.

"What? Not any a scratch! What's that thing made of?" Bowser growled in failure.

"My King, look!" Kammy pointed to the vortex.

The foreign object pushed even further, revealing it to be the helm of a flying spaceship. The vortex was being strained so much that in a flash, the sky around literally began to crack. Lightning voltages spurred from the vortex and struck the ground and once at one of the castle pinnacles. Mario and company ducked for cover as the pinnacle was nearly destroyed.

"Your Rancidness! This is becoming too dangerous! We must retreat!" Kammy implored her king. Bowser clutched the rim of his clown car, giving a low growl in his throat, but he saw that he didn't have a choice.

"Fine! Koopa Army! Pull back! Pull back!"

Mario turned to Toadsworth. "You gotta bring our soldiers back, too."

Before they could, though, the cracks of the vortex became even louder and bigger until finally, pieces of the sky itself were falling off and shattered into bits like glass and vaporizing into dust. The dark holes in the vortex looked like they were in outer space with many stars sparkling in the void. The ship easily pushed itself out of the phenomenon and a great shadow loomed over Toad Town.

Everyone's mouth gapped open and their eyes widened. The hatches of the flying fortress suddenly opened and a machine stuck out from the helm and began to charge with white sparks circuiting the weapon and a ball of energy grew at the tip of the machine. Morbid screams echoed through the city as all the people and soldiers ran for their lives. When the machine blasted the laser and swept through the buildings and streets toward the people, a death silence brought the whole moment to feel like slow-motion and the only thing that could be heard was Mario screaming. "NOOOOOOOOO!!"

In an instant, the laser was gone. Every person struck by it, Toad, Toadette, child, and soldier all had fallen on the ground in his or her place, whether it'd be on the streets or in their own homes.

Mario's legs failed him and he dropped to his knees with his whole body shivering in disbelief. Luigi abruptly turned his head away refusing to witness anymore. Toadsworth dropped his cane and fell over backwards. Even Bowser and Kammy could barely stand the sight of it all, though Bowser tried not to show any fear.

Mario gazed up and something took him by surprise in the distance. "Hey! Look there!" The group jumped up, following the direction Mario's finger.

Back in the perished Toad Town, hundreds of shining lights escaped from the bodies of those hit by the laser and formed into glowing orbs that rose into the sky toward the flying fortress.

"They look like stars…" Kammy remarked.

"Wait. Aren't those the same things that came out the guard's body?" Luigi wondered as he stared at the pale, slumped mushroom guard.

"I think you're right, Weegie," Mario agreed. _"The citizens may not be dead, but what are those things? Just what all of this about?"_

"Well, we gotta do somethin' bro or else those people may never get up again!" Mario bit his bottom lip trying to figure out what to do.

A couple of seconds after the last orb left for the sky, hundreds of black shadows flew from the ship and started harvesting the lights. To the group's surprise, the creatures were some sort of monsters and almost every orb was consumed by them. When their task was completed, the monsters headed straight for Toad Town, raiding the buildings and homes, and carried as many hostages as they could back up to their behemoth in the sky.

Even the castle didn't protect them forever. A swarm of machine monsters targeted the castle grounds. The Toad guards and Bowser's minions tried running away but it was no use. Mario and Luigi knew they had to defend the castle, so the red plumber charged his Firebrand and his green brother focused his Thunderhand and both threw dozens of fireballs and lightning orbs at the incoming swarm. Despite all the attacks that made contact, there were too many to go against. The monsters landed on the castle roof, barged inside through the windows and stormed the gardens.

"We must flee, my King! Save the men you have not already lost! This is a hopeless battle!" Kammy begged the Koopa King. Bowser didn't hesitate.

"Listen well, troops! We must abort this mission! All forces retreat!!" With that command, Bowser and Kammy withdrew from the scene and escaped with their Paratroopas and Fly Guys carrying as many of their ground forces and injured soldiers as they could and soared away from the peril in to the distance. Before Mario's group lost sight of them in the horizon, they could see that some of the monsters were following right behind the fleeing army. It was clear that these they were not going to let anyone escape so easily.

"We have to get out of here, too! There's nothing we can do!" Luigi yelled still throwing lightning.

Before they could react, the creatures fell from the roof and surrounded them. The group got a better look at these monsters and realized they were actually robots who appeared to look like Shy Guys on sword-tipped springs, jumping maniacally around. "_Wait."_Mario thought to himself_. "I've seen these things somewhere before."_ The Shy Guy robots suddenly stopped, made a two line formation near the opposite ends of the railing and bowed. Right above the balcony, a person was hovering towards them on light panels. Mario fixed his eyes on the shadow. As it got closer, he noticed that it was a woman in a dark blue velvet suit with metal plating on the left thigh and both shoulders. She had pale tan skin and light green hair that went down to her chest. She gracefully landed her feet on the railing, lifted her head up, and showed her beautiful yet cold smile, and malignant yellow eyes.

"Well," the woman sighed, "we didn't expect any stragglers to escape the extraction procedure. You three must either be powerful, stubborn, or just plain lucky."

Mario narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "Who are you people? What do you want from us?"

The woman stared at the little plumber, scrolling up and down his figure. _A red cap. Black mustache. A creature who is practically one of a kind."_ The woman flipped her hair and put her hand on her hip. "You may call me Envy. I suppose I can tell you. Like it's going to matter afterwards" She casually moved her foot and walked slowly on the tiny railing. "We come from another dimension as you can see from the void in your sky. We only have one ambition: To obtain power and rule this universe." She spun around on her heels and her yellow eyes gazed viciously. "And this world is going to help us do just that." Luigi and Toadsworth gasped and took a step back in fear of the woman. Mario stood his ground, but the dark aura around the woman made him sweat down to his neck.

She jumped down onto the floor of the balcony and stood tall in front of the captured party and smirked once again. "You may also call this revenge for what your world did to us last time."

"Last time?" Mario questioned.

"Come now. Doesn't all of this seem familiar to you?"

Mario paused for a moment, trying to look back in his memories. Yes, something like this did happen a long time ago, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"No matter," Envy interrupted him. "Once I take your all of your essences, none of that will mean anything. Shypers, restrain them for me." She snapped her fingers and the Shy Guy machines started to close in on the cornered group. Mario, Luigi and Toadsworth huddled their backs against each other while Envy laughed under her breath as she was about to take her next victims.

Luigi whispered into Mario's ear, "Bro, we got to get out of here. You got any ideas?"

"Just one," he replied.

Mario charged is Firebrand once again. He hid his glove behind his back to hide the flames. Right when the robots bounced, ready to assault them, Mario took his Fire Punch technique and aimed at the ground, creating an explosion where the flames spiraled and expanded outward, damaging the robots caught in it. Envy hovered back, avoiding from getting burned, giving the group a chance to escape out the door.

"Do not let those fools leave our hands!!" she commanded.

Down the hallways and through the rooms, the three companions tried to make their getaway, but many Shypers who broke inside the castle barricaded the way. With Mario in front, he threw fireballs and used his jump attacks to knock them out, giving Luigi and Toadsworth the chance to get through without slowing down. Luigi observed the situation and said, "There are too many of these guys! We'll never get out of here!"

Toadsworth thought for a moment and remembered something. "Not necessarily." Both plumbers turned to him. "There's an old secret passage underneath the throne that will lead us through an underground tunnel and out into Mushroom Way beyond the city."

"That's great!" Mario cheered. "Let's-a go!"

Heeding the old attendant's words, they snuck their way past the enemy and after a few minutes, they returned to the second floor and into Peach's dark throne room. There were no robots present which was good for them. Toadsworth walked to the throne and tried to push, but it was too heavy. "I say, could one of you boys give me a hand?" Mario volunteered as Luigi guarded the door. By working together, the throne started to slide, revealing a trapdoor. "Excellent, this is our way out."

"We found it, Weegie!"

"That's great!"

Luigi hurried over to them, but then the door was busted down into pieces. Before Luigi could turn around, a flash of light filled the room, and a beam of energy pierced through his back. The same orb of energy appeared from his chest and Luigi fell on the ground.

"LUIGI!!" Mario ran to his little brother whose skin was turning pale white and very cold.

The one who had taken the shot was none other than the notorious Envy who caught the sphere that floated into her hands. "Hmm, this essence is a little different from the ones we've gathered, but I'm not quite sure what that difference is. Interesting…" Mario held onto his brother and kept shaking him, but Luigi refused to open his eyes. "Don't waste your time, Mario. Without this mass of energy from his soul, that man will never awaken. The same goes for all of our victims." Envy threw the sphere to a Shyper. "And now for you…" she grinned as she held up her gun.

Mario was frozen as he tightened his hold on Luigi. A beam of light was about to shoot and it would all be over.

Just then, the ceiling was crumbling once more and the debris was piling up in the middle of the room. Mario took the opportunity and carried Luigi to Toadsworth and the trapdoor. The brothers went first, but Envy glimpsed the runaways between the rubble and took her shot with her laser. She managed to hit Toadsworth and obtain another sphere.

Toadsworth dropped to his knees, but he looked down at Mario who had just stepped down on the ladder in the hole. "M, Master… Mario, you have to… go on without me," he whispered. "Climb down the ladder… and y, you'll be in a… underground tunnel. Be careful not… to fall…in... With his last bit of strength, he closed the trapdoor and fell on top of it.

The enemy wasn't distracted long by the falling debris. Envy crushed the remains with a strange power and walked ran over to the motionless mushroom. She stood there for a second and then kicked him across the room with her boot to reveal the trapdoor. "You will not slip past me, Mario."

___

The underground passage was dank, cold and wet. There were stars floating on torches hanging on the walls to light the way. He ran as fast as he could with Luigi on his back. His shoes were dampened by the water on the floor and his footsteps echoed down the tunnel. He then noticed the sound of footsteps becoming louder and more rapid. Behind him were dozens of shadows. He knew it was Envy and her gang of Shy Guy robots following him. He didn't look back and picked up the pace.

Envy took her gun and pulled the trigger, missing Mario around the corner. Up ahead, a river flowed to his left. The floor was so slippery that he almost lost his footing. That slowed him down and the unconscious Luigi almost fell from his back. When Mario tried to straighten his brother up, an eerie sensation blew on his neck. Envy was in perfect range to fire once more. Her face gleamed with victory.

The red plumber had to take one more shot, so he threw a fireball, making Envy lose her balance while dodging and swung his arm to knock her weapon out of her hand. In sheer anger, Envy invoked her strange power and hurled a shard of crystal into Mario's already damaged shoulder. The shock on the attack forced him backwards and both brothers went into the rushing river. Mario could hardly swim with his impaled arm and he desperately tried to keep his head above the water while his brother was quickly sinking on his own. There was a fork in the river, and without warning, Luigi went down the split toward the right, and Mario flowed with the current on the left. Soon, both Mario Brothers disappeared from Envy's sight.

Rage and fury enveloped the egotistic woman. Even her minions were shaking in fear and slowly bounced away from her. A deep black aura surrounded her and sharp green crystals formed on her body and metal plating. Her irises glowed bright yellow and her pupil changed into that of a beast. "Damn you," she growled. "You will not stand in the way of my lord. His ambition will become reality. But in the end of this struggle, you are the one who truly lost."

___

**And so the first chapter is DONE!! Yes, in this story there will be some cursing and blood, but in a bare minimum. I'm not sure if too much happens in this first chapter but it all becomes important information for the early chapters. So, oh well. If you have been paying attention to the clues given out, you might have figured out who is the enemy in the story. I realize that the secret passage thing is from **_**A Link to the Past **_**without noticing, but its still a cool idea. I hope to go all out with this story because of what I have planned; it will be the first part of the first story in a bigger series. I will just have to see how it plays out. **

**Mario has gotten into some major trouble. A new villain named Envy is sparing no mercy to capture the castle and the city, but she is just a subordinate under her true master. How will the Mario Bros. handle this situation?**

**Next time…**

**Mario:** I can't believe this is happening. First, the princess is missing, Bowser decides to drop in with his army, and now a new enemy from another dimension has siege of the city. I know I've seen these guys somewhere before; it's on the tip of my tongue. Just what is it they are after? I bet it has to do with those lights that look like stars that they took from everyone…even Luigi. Oh, bro, where are you? I'm going to need to find out where these guys are hiding out. Whoever your boss is, I'll be sure to stop him.

**Episode 2: **_**Regroup and Conquer**_


	2. Regroup and Conquer

Many thanks to **Michaiah** for the review. I truly appreciate it. This is my first fanfic so I'm a little nervous. Yes, this is going to be another Mario RPG, but it's an awesome game, so I couldn't help myself. There have been some nice guesses about some of the villains but not quite. (Doesn't mean you might not see them) Look out, there are going to be some OCs in this chapter. In fact, there are going to be a lot in the whole story. They'll be relevant in the storyline but I promise they won't become Mary Sues or Stus or whatever. Tell me if they do, please.

**It was just an ordinary day for Mario and Luigi until they learned from Toadsworth that Princess Peach left to help Daisy battle against forces who were terrorizing Sarasaland, and they've yet to contact anyone since then. If that wasn't bad enough, Bowser and his Koopa Army attacked Toad Town and the castle, but a mysterious woman had appeared and left the people helpless by taking away strange spheres of energy from their bodies. What's more is that Bowser and his army have been chased off, Mario, Luigi and Toadsworth have fallen victim to the enemy's power, and now the Mario Brothers are gone and separated. What is to become of our heroes and their fair home? Read to find out!**

___

Chapter 2: Regroup and Conquer

"_Who are you?"_

_**-Why don't you give me **__your__** stars?- **_

"_The stars let us wish and dream." _

_**-Why, then I can easily conquer this world!-**_

"_It's you. You're that evil man from before!"_

_**-We can get rid of all wishes and create a world filled with…WEAPONS!!-**_

"_No! I won't let you do it! I will destroy your weapons…and I will destroy __**you**__!"_

___

Mario fluttered his eyes as he looked at the early morning sky. He was somewhere near the shore of a small pond, completely soaked while floating on top of the water on his back. He realized the pain in his left shoulder and saw the bloody green crystal impaled in his skin. Mario strained himself to swim to the shore with only his right arm. After crawling out of the water, he pulled the crystal out, trying not to scream in agony. His sleeve was torn and stained, so he ripped a piece to use as a bandage. Then he stumbled upon an old tree to rest on. He watched the ripples of the water shimmer then closed his eyes to recall everything that happened.

"_Mama mia. That was absolutely crazy. To think all of that could of happened so suddenly. Toad Town and Peach's Castle have fallen into ruins. So many people are hurt…and gone. Even Toadsworth and..."_ Mario's body jumped, as he remembered that Luigi was hurt, too. He scanned the area, hoping his little brother washed up alongside him. His eyes softened when Luigi was nowhere to be seen. "That's right. We both fell in the river, and ended up going in two different directions."

He looked around again, and noticed many tall trees, large grassy mounds, and a clear path trailing behind him. _"Toadsworth said that the underground escape tunnel would lead into Mushroom Way. Is this the place?"_ Mario wondered as he slowly stood up. _"If that's the case, then where did Luigi go? I hope he's alright and someplace safe."_ He wringed out his wet cap and turned to the dirt trail. _"The only thing I can do now is follow the path and hope for the best," _Mario decided_. _He took a deep breath, and set off on his way.

But before he would continue, he paused as a thought came into mind. _"This enemy…the way they attacked…it feels the same way as Daisy described in her letter. I don't find that a coincidence at all. And then there was that woman… She said something about revenge. I don't recognize her, but I have seen those machine monsters before."_ Mario sighed and held his bandaged shoulder._ "I can't deny it any longer, but…could he truly be alive? I'm sure my friends and I destroyed him years ago along with his factory. Or…is someone else playing the cards to control that mechanical organization?"_

Mario resumed on his journey as he pondered these new questions.

___

In the eastern village not far from Toad Town, four Koopa Troopas with different colored shells and masks were tied up and thrown into a group of other frightened Koopas and Bob-ombs. Two Shypers came up and pulled off the masks of the four young Koopa Troopas. They were none other than the notorious Koopa Bros. and Koopa Village was being seized by the enemy organization.

"Hey!" Red Koopa yelled to their oppressors, "What are you doing taking off our masks? Haven't you ever heard the code of secret identities, dude?"

"Yeah!" agreed his three other teammates.

"Oh, just shut up, you imbeciles!" said a gruff voice degrading them.

The Koopa Bros. started shaking to their boots as a large mechanical monster shook the ground as it stomped with its huge feet and loomed over the four brothers. It was obvious it was the leader of the group. It had a round, purple metal body with black spikes, both large and small, sticking from its arms and back. Thick, black lips grinned at the terrified brothers as if he was ready to devour them and it wore a silver helmet that covered its glowing red eyes.

"W...w…what do you want from us?" trembled Black.

"Yeah, we didn't do anything wrong," said Green.

"…Today," Yellow admitted awkwardly.

"You didn't do anything," the leader chortled. "We're just kicking you out of your fortress and taking your village. As of today, Koopa Bros. Fortress and Koopa Village belongs to us!"

All the villagers were stunned and outraged for this monster's declaration, but the Shypers gathered together and blew fire at their hostages, forcing them to stop rioting.

"Hey! You can't just take away our crib, dude. We're the ones who are supposed to be the bad guys," said Red trying to stand up while still tied with rope, but the giant monster slapped him back down with the side of his hand.

"Well, it looks like you four are out of the job. And now, you'll be working for us," it grinned. The giant machine monster unveiled a jewel on its helmet and it shone with a powerful light. Red and his three brothers backed away with their tied legs into the crowd of villagers.

"As soon as I take your Essences!" The leader shouted.

Suddenly, a bright red jewel appeared from the silver helmet and several beams of light shot and struck all the hostages who screamed hysterically in the blinding flash.

___

Deep within the dark corridors of an ominous place, a gathering was being held in a large, cold dome with thousands of mechanical creatures sitting on the stands around the walls and below the stage in the middle. A large, tall throne rose high on the steps in the back of the room. A man in a long, white coat wearing an iron mask stood next to someone sitting in the place of authority, with his face hidden in the shadows.

The person in the throne held his hand up, signaling the audience to be quiet. "The Manager, Envy, step forward," he commanded.

Entering from the hallway, the sinister woman who attacked Toad Town walked down the steps toward the center stage. All that could be heard were the clicking of her footsteps on her dark blue heels. Once on center stage, she bowed before the throne with her hand across her chest. "I, Envy, am in your presence, my lord."

"I assume your attack on the Mushroom Kingdom capitol was successful?" asked the lord while resting on his hand.

"Yes. Their city is in our control and the captives are being accounted for as we speak. A few hours ago, we found an old stone fortress to the east of the city that would be suitable for a base. We will use our new slaves to reconstruct it into a facility by our standards so that we can build even more…"

The lord interrupted her as he raised his hand again. "That is all well and good, Envy, but what I truly wanted to hear is if you found one of the Artifacts in that city?"

Envy was hesitant and swallowed in her throat, letting her eye roam down toward the floor. The audience began to murmur and whisper.

"Ooh, she did something wrong."

"Will she make our lord angry?"

"She's going to die."

Getting annoyed at their remarks, she valiantly stood tall and was ready to meet her fate.

"Unfortunately, all the Essences that we collected in Toad Town were nothing more but common star energy."

The audience gasped at Envy's answer, whispering even louder in their confusion. Trying to avoid uproar, their lord stood up and gritted his teeth.

"Silence!!" he commanded. The creatures immediately obeyed and Envy stood there without changing her expression, either to show her pride or conceal her fear. Her lord sat down again and a pair of menacing red eyes stared down at her in the darkness.

"Envy…" he said disturbingly soft, "You must remember that _you_ were the one who volunteered for the invasion of Toad Town, confident that at least one of the Artifacts was down there. In that sense, you have failed me." Sweat rolled down her cheek. "Perhaps I need to think of a proper way to scrap you…" he threatened without showing any kind of malice.

"If I may be allowed to interject, my lord," the masked man in white clothing spoke out.

All eyes focused on the man standing on their lord's right side.

"You wish to speak on this subordinate's defense, Chief Dominion?" the lord narrowed his eyes.

"I do not wish to defend her. I would just like to point out that her mission was not a complete failure for she did bring an Essence that is very different from the others."

"Hmm. Yes. I did feel that energy a while ago. Show it to me."

Envy took her hand and the orb of energy formed in her palm. She guided it to the hands of her lord for him to examine. The room was still hushed. Everyone was waiting for their lord to make his judgment.

"Well, it does possess unique properties than from common Essences. For one, the crystallized star energy is much larger than what you would get from a normal essence, but it is most definitely not an Artifact." He stared at the mass of energy again. "But, there is no shred of dark desires within it which is unusual. It is as if light and shadow were separated. Tell me. Do you know who you got this from?"

Recollecting her thoughts, she answered, "It was from a moustache man who wore a green shirt and cap, and blue overalls." Her lord raised his glowing red eyes for a moment. "Is there wrong?" she responded quickly.

"That description…seems very similar to our former enemy: The moustache man in the _red_ shirt and cap, and blue overalls. He may look like an ordinary man, but he is dangerous," the lord recalled from the past. The audience started to hiss at the sound of his name.

"I can assure you that this Essence came from the soul of a man in _green_ attire." Her lord was still skeptical.

The masked man, Dominion, eased over to his lord. "Don't forget that you hold a powerful source of energy in your hands, my lord. We can use it to our advantage and make a powerful weapon with it which may help in our search and destroy anyone who would defy us."

"Indeed," their lord smiled. "Very well, Envy. This will compensate for your mission. And I'm sure the Producer has already sent a Mecha to take charge of this fortress you mentioned." He threw the essence far into the back of the room on the highest floor of the dome. A long, grotesque arm with sharp nails stretched out and caught it in the shadows. It was someone wearing red clothing, a lab coat falling loosely on the ground, and unnatural rectangular glasses shining in the light. "I'm sure you will make me something destructive, Viral."

The creature in the lab coat bowed slightly, and then disappeared into the darkness without saying a word.

The lord turned to Envy once more. "You may return to your quarters." She bowed again and slowly turned around. "But…" he stopped her in mid-turn, "before you go, answer me this." She shifted back into her place to respond. "Have you ever encountered the creature called Mario?"

Envy didn't show any exposure, for she knew if she did, her guilt would be acknowledged and her lord would kill her undoubtedly. "No, I have not, my lord," she calmly replied.

He stared at her and she didn't make any movements. After a second or so, he nodded his head.

"You are dismissed."

Finally, Envy left the room with her life intact and it was very clear that their lord had many devious plans for the Mushroom World and killing Mario was one of the organization's main objectives.

___

The courageous hero navigated diligently on the cleared path. While walking, he came across many rogue Goombas and Spinies. They didn't pose much of a threat, for all it took was a simple stomp or a kick underneath the shell. He found a mushroom in a patch of flowers. After taking a few bites, the wound on his arm and shoulder started to healed, but he still have to take it easy. At least he would be able to use his arm a little more.

Up in the horizon, he could see the rooftops of the once thriving city, Toad Town. What took Mario for a surprise was the shattered hole in the sky. He thought that it would have disappeared, but the phenomenon was still hanging above the city. That could mean, in Mario's opinion that this enemy could come and go as they please, or possibly bring something even more horrific to their world.

Just then, Mario heard someone screaming. "Did I just…"

_**CRASH!!**_

The trees were getting knocked down in a small area to his right. Mario wasted no time and ran off the path to find the one in trouble. It was easy to follow with a trail of broken trees marking the way. Suddenly, the red plumber lost his footing as he tripped at a steep slope and slid down into a clearing. The voices and sounds mysteriously stopped. He tried to figure out where the trouble had gone. "Where did…"

Unexpectedly, a little Toadette with a white hat and pink spots ran out of the bushes and crashed into Mario. They both came too, but before they could move, something emerged from the ground, sending a cloud of dirt at their faces. As the cloud started to clear, they could see the thing chasing the Toadette was a giant Monty Mole. Its claws were longer than Mario's entire body, its grey, brown fur stood up like spikes as it growled, and its sharp teeth dripped saliva down its mouth. Mario and the little Toadette tried to look at its eyes but could stare at their own reflection in its black sunglasses. The giant mole tackled the plumber and the Toadette, but Mario held the girl tight, did a huge somersault and landed behind it. The little mushroom girl looked at him with amazement, but the Monty Mole dug into the ground again and started chasing them. "Hang on!" Mario instructed. The Toadette nodded, grabbed one of the blue straps of his overalls, and then Mario ran for their lives.

It was harder for Mario to know where he was going while combing through the lush of the wooded area, watching out for low tree branches, bushes, and any rocks or twigs that would make him fall. The giant Monty Mole had no trouble pursing its hapless prey as it tore up the ground and uprooted the trees in its way. It moved so fast that it already caught up with them, it sharp claws only feet away from catching them. The little Toadette shuddered and panicked, signaling the hero that he had to do something.

He made an abrupt turn, throwing their purser off for a moment but it followed again just as swiftly. In front of them, there was a tall rock wall blocking the way. That could have been terrible for the duo, but Mario came up with a plan. He led the giant mole right for the wall. The mole then dug its head out of the ground, ready to catch its two quarries. It was all or nothing now. Mario hopped once, with the rock wall closing in. The second jump was higher, but they wouldn't have reached it at that leap. The Monty Mole stretched out for its final attack. Mario gathered his all of his strength and bounded a third time, executing his triple jump move, barely landing on top of the platform. The clueless mole rammed right into the wall, stopping dead in its tracks with a massive lump on its head. With a slight chuckle from the plumber and the mushroom girl sticking out her tongue at the mole, both ran away together before it woke up.

The duo climbed down the rock wall on the other side, jumped on some tree branches and settled on the ground while catching their breaths. Mario smiled at the little Toadette and asked, "Are you okay, now?"

She looked up at the plumber. "Yep," she answered, nodding her head. "It's also because I'm really lucky that I found you, Mister Mario." He became baffled at the mushroom child who just stared up at him, smiling hard.

"You were looking for me? Who are you?"

"My name is Pat Toad or Miss Pat T. if you want."

Mario sighed. "Let's just stick with Pat."

"Okay."

Mario looked at her and a thought came into his mind. "Hey Pat, you wouldn't happen to be from Toad Town, are you?

Pat was shocked and she lowered her head to the side. "Yes, but I'm all alone." Truthfully, Mario expected as much from her. "Well, not really," Pat contradicted herself. "There are the others in Merlon's cave."

"You mean the wizard, Merlon?" Mario repeated her. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Yesterday, Mr. Merlon was walking around town and started mumbling danger and everyone should leave the city at once. Not many people listened, though. I was on my way to get milk and bread for my mom when I heard him. I was a little curious so I decided to follow him, but the next thing I knew… Everything was…"

She couldn't finish her sentence and her black eyes began to water with tears. Then, Mario put his hand on her pink spotted cap. "I know," he said tenderly. She wiped her face and continued with her tale.

"It turned out that Mister Merlon was very nice. He managed to bring some other people out here from Toad Town. He took us to his secret cave in Mushroom Way and kept us safe."

The red plumber gave a loud sigh of relief. _"At least a few were able to escape."_

"While in his cave, Merlon said that you were coming here soon to help us. I wanted to find you first, but then I got attacked and… well… here we are now."

"That's kinda a long story, but I understand," he said as he rubbed his bushy moustache. "Thanks for trying to find me, but you should be more careful." Pat grinned and bobbed her body back and forth. "So, where is Merlon anyway? I would like to talk to him"

"Follow me, Mister Mario!" she said as she tugged his shirt sleeve.

The duo headed east off of Mushroom Way and the determined hero hoped to find more answers with the wisdom of the magician, Merlon.

___

Mario followed the hyperactive Toadette, Pat, who had been circling and hopping around him as they searched for Merlon's cave. They finally came upon a large mossy knoll surrounded by many bushes. "This is it," Pat pointed at the mound. Mario raised his eyebrow. She kneeled down and pulled some of the bushes away, revealing a hole going downwards through the knoll. "Come on!" Pat said as she pulled his arm. After he crawled inside with her, Pat moved the bushes back over the hole to keep it a secret.

The red plumber had to duck his head to avoid hitting the ceiling while the little mushroom simply walked merrily in front of him. The rocky ground soon had grass and flowers growing on the side. A few steps later, vines were hanging at the end of the tunnel behind a white light. "We're almost there!" Pat yelled as she went ahead and disappeared in the white veil. Mario slowly braced the light and closed his eyes in the radiance.

As he opened them to get adjusted, our hero saw the enormous cavern with stalactites dripping water into miniature pools. Surprisingly, there was lofty grass, short trees, and large mushroom stalks growing in the middle as a large hole at the top provided sunlight from above. What really warmed his heart were the groups of mushroom people roaming about. They were the survivors that Pat told him about. There were even a few Koopas and Bob-ombs relaxing in the pools of water.

It didn't take long for someone to notice him. "Hey! Isn't that Mario?" a Red spotted Toad shouted. Soon, groups came flocking in, greeting their hero and allowing him no way of escaping. Mario fanned out his arms, pushing the civilians to give him some air. "Ok, ok! I'm glad to see you're alright."

"We're happy to see _your_ well, Mario," said a purple spotted Toadette.

"Merlon was right when he said you'd be dropping in on us," a yellow spotted Toad added.

While everyone was greeting the honored guest, a blue Bob-omb squeezed through the crowd and glared at everyone then the red plumber. "Why don't we just get to the point?" the Bob-omb insisted. "What exactly happened out there? Where are our friends and family?!"

"Don't be rude!" yelled a Koopa, smacking him on the fuse.

The Italian let out a frown on his face when an old distraught Toad walked up to him with a grey goatee and pale blue spots. "Mario. It is obvious that we are facing a force beyond our comprehension, but it is obvious they intend to bring pain and suffering to us. There is not much we can do, but be assured that this old Toadstool will not lose faith." The elderly Toad looked at the group than the Bob-omb who narrowed his white eyes in shame and lightly nodded. "Please, will you accept our faith and help us?"

"I promise I'll do my best and save everyone," Mario answered with the confidence of a hero.

"And so the stars begin to guide our destinies."

Behind the crowd, Pat had returned with a man in a dark violet cloak with a large tan moustache on his concealed face. "There he is, Mister Merlon," Pat pointed to Mario.

The crowd stepped back to let Mario approach the wise medium. "It's been a while hasn't it since we last met?"

"Indeed, it has." Merlon looked down to the child and rubbed her head. "You did well, little one. A star has clearly chosen to protect you." She didn't quite understand what he meant, but she smiled anyway. "You all may do as you please. Mario and I have much to discuss." Mario nodded in agreement. "Let's not speak here. Come to my abode."

The old psychic swiftly walked to the other direction with his long robe trailing behind him. The plumber waved good-bye to Pat and followed the mystifying wizard.

In a secluded part of the cavern, there was a door on the wall of the rock. Both of them went inside and found the room was dark. "Confound it! Where is that switch?" Merlon pondered as he scrambled through his things in the darkness. "Oh, right," he finally recalled. He clapped his hands twice and the room lit up with star lanterns hanging on the ceiling. Red and purple drapes flowed around the room, books were piled on the floor and shelves, and many knick-knacks were cluttered with everything.

A single round table and crystal ball stood in the back. Merlon sat down on the floor and put out his hand, signaling Mario to join him as well. Mario crossed his legs and watched as the medium waved his arms around his ball which began to illuminate in a yellow glow.

"This is quite a predicament," Merlon started, still focusing on his crystal ball.

"Yeah."

"The oracle spoke to me in a dream the other day. A malevolent force has appeared as we have already experienced, and they shall threaten not only our world but the world of the stars themselves."

"The stars are also involved with all this?"

"Correct. There is a harmony between our worlds and I have been told that this enemy desires to annihilate that bond. Mario, you alone have gained so much knowledge in the power of the stars that most people could not hope to receive, but there are far more secrets that you must unravel to stop this enemy's ambition."

"Do you know at all who this enemy is?"

"My crystal ball revealed that our world has encountered this darkness before. They once attempted to take away our ability to wish and it has returned to attack both worlds in a more dastardly method." Merlon looks up with his small glowing green eyes. "But I believe you have already come to that conclusion."

Mario lowered his eyes for Merlon knew exactly what was going through his head. He clutched his hands on his crossed thighs and sat there for a moment. "I want to believe it isn't true, but the facts are right here in front of us."

The robed magician's crystal ball glowed in a great intensity as he threw up his arms and a lightshow of stars moved across the wall.

The ball's light diminished as the distressed medium put his arms back to his sides.

"They…have returned. The Smithy Gang…has returned."

Stillness shrouded the room and Mario frowned with disappointment.

"I thought as much, but what I can't figure out is how they managed to revive themselves. After my friends and I launched the final blow, Smithy exploded right in front us with no trace of him whatsoever, and the sword monster, Exor, was destroyed, too."

"An answer that neither of us have within our knowledge. This is becoming quite frustrating."

Mario closed his eyes, meditating on the situation.

"Merlon," he began, "sometime ago, I've faced a group of machine monsters and their commander. She said something about…"essence". They've been collecting these orbs of energy from people's bodies and when they did, that person just collapses, never waking up. Even Toadsworth and…Luigi have lost this "essence".

"Hmm…I'm sure that your friends and your brother are fine, but this is very curious. Perhaps this is the method they hope to use to conquer our world, but it seems too simple. There might be more to it than that, but the oracle could not advise me on that matter."

"Whether it's the Smithy Gang or someone completely different, I won't forgive them for what they've done!" Mario said as he clutched his hand.

"Do not let hatred overwhelm you. It is unclear what the Smithy Gang's true objectives are, but you must stop whatever evil plans they intend to accomplish."

"If we only knew where they are hiding now…" said Mario, folding his arms.

"I have heard from the Koopas around here that there had been a recent attack on Koopa Village and Koopa Bros. Fortress. That may be the best place for you to catch up to them now."

Mario began to rub his chin. "Koopa Bros. Fortress is a pretty sturdy stronghold to hideout in. That's probably not a bad idea, Merlon." Mario rose to his feet. "Thank you for your time. I promise, I'll do whatever I can." With that Mario left for the door when a hand rested on his shoulder and the other had a pouch.

"Take these Mushrooms and Freshen Up herbs with you." Merlon placed the pouch in Mario's gloved hands. "And also…" A soft, low light emitted from Merlon's hand on the plumber's hurt shoulder and after a few moments as the medium lifted his hand, the wound was completely healed and his shirt was repaired.

"Wow," Mario awed in amazement, "Thanks." He put the pouch in his pocket, bowed the brim of his red cap at the wizard with a smile, and exited the door.

Once he was alone, Merlon lowered his head as he stared at the crystal ball again. _"But, I wonder how far you will actually be willing to endure this battle."_ His light eyes shimmered at the sight of his crystal ball's glow._ "Things are definitely getting more interesting for both the Stars and you, Mario." _

___

In the far reaches of the land, in the area Bandit's Way, someone washed up on the gravel shore at the edge of the river. He was drenching wet with his overalls and green shirt tattered, and his green cap tipped off his head by the wind. It was Luigi, still motionless from his recent assault but very much alive. The current from the river almost pulled him into the water again until his legs began to stir and he grasped the pebbles in his hand. He groaned as he slowly opened his blue, innocent eyes and slightly lifted his head.

"_What happened to me?" _he thought as he still lay on the ground. _"Where am I?"_ An array of memories struggled to come back to him. _"I remember Mario and I were…Daisy and Peach are…the castle…attacked… fought Bowser…and then…"_

Luigi fought out of his daze and exerted his energy to get up on his knees, but an unbearable pain gradually throbbed in his heart. Luigi rolled around in anguish, gripping his chest as tight as he could. "Ahh!! What's going on?! I feel like a part of me has been ripped right out of my body!" His breathing was harsh and coarse, frantically trying to gasp some air.

He tried to remember more of incident the other day. _"That's right. There were those machine guys and that woman. She shot me…with that weird laser. But, didn't she do the same thing to me as to those other people? But then, how am I still moving, but barely?" _

"_**That…would be me, champ."**_

Luigi rose up, despite the pain in his chest, searching for the voice that just spoke.

"Did just hear someone? Am I…hallucinating?"

"'_**Fraid not."**_

The terrified green plumber strained to his feet, spinning in all directions as the voice kept taunting him.

"Where are you?!"

"_**Over here." **_He sharply turned left.

"_**No, over here." **_Then he jerked right.

"_**Getting warmer…"**_

Luigi's legs could not hold him up any longer. His body quivered, he became dizzy, and he was ready to succumb as he passed out and fell forwards. As Luigi was losing consciousness, he gazed at the running river water, watching his own reflection. "W, who…are you?" he murmured to himself.

"**I know it's been a while, Green, but I've been around the whole time…inside you." **

The plumber looked closely at his reflection and realized that someone else appeared in the ripples of the water, wearing a black suit, green scarf and cap, standing right behind Luigi with his back turned. He looked behind himself, but in actuality, no one was there to cast the reflection.

"**And I have to say, I'm very disappointed."**

The image turned and to Luigi's astonishment, the illusion was him, staring with cold, grey eyes behind his mask. "I must be losing my mind. These pains are making me crazy!" he shouted at the water.

"**It's no trick. This is really happening in front of your eyes and in your head because that's where I am right now. I'm you, a Luigi that is absolutely opposite to you in every way."**

"You…seem so…familiar. What are you doing here?" asked Luigi, uncomfortably speaking to the illusion.

"**It was getting so annoying watching such a pushover constantly stand in second place all the time, hardly ever fighting and refusing to show what you're truly made of! I saw the whole thing happen. You were taken down by that woman so easily and had that excuse of a hero save your butt, or least attempted to anyway. I would have never fallen to the enemy like that and I mostly certainly would never rely on anyone, especially that red plumber freak. It's pathetic. You should despise him.**

"Don't you criticize my brother! He did everything he could and so did I! And I could never hate him for anything!"

"**That's a lie!" **Luigi choked at the illusion's anger. **"You have every reason to resent him. A so called brother who never acknowledges your ability, refuses to have you aid him in his ridiculous adventures, and always leaves you behind without a care."**

Y, you're w…wr, wrong," Luigi stuttered under his breath, trembling.

"**I'm not. I exist inside your subconscious in the darkest pockets in your mind, and I represent all of your deepest desires, your secrets, and every evil thought that you should think." **The dark apparition bent down and whispered into the ear of Luigi's reflection that is still shaking. **"And one among your thoughts is your hatred toward your brother and you desire his own demise." **

"_Get out of my head!" _Luigi covered his ears with his hands.

"**I don't know what those metal freaks did to you, but the power in your soul that casts me away from your heart is getting weaker by the second. Finally, I will make my triumphant return." **

"_Please stop it!"_

"**You should be grateful that I exist or you would have never been able to move again without a soul to support your body. But now, it's time for you to say good-bye, 'other me'". **

The dark image of Luigi swiped his arm and erased the normal plumber from the reflection. The real Luigi removed his hands, staring at the river with his head hung, sitting there without moving at all.

Out of nowhere, a shady Goomba in a green bandana and a blue Bandit carrying a rusty knife came out of the bushes in the back. This wasn't called Bandit's Way for nothing as they walked up to the unsuspecting plumber.

"Give us your coins and no one will have to get hurt…much," the smug gangster Goomba threatened. Luigi didn't respond.

Getting irritated the Bandit waved its knife and yelled, "Hey, are you retarded?! Give us your cash or we'll kill you!" The Bandit grabbed Luigi's arm and pointed his knife down ready to strike.

"Don't touch me," Luigi finally spoke.

The Goomba bellowed in laughter rolling his eyes. "What do you think you can do, you little wimp?"

"Just this…" the green plumber smirked underneath his moustache.

In a flash, Luigi shoved his arm and grabbed Bandit's wrist, crushing the bone and forcing him to drop the knife with Bandit wailing.

"Damn you!" the Goomba shouted.

The Goomba jumped and spin kicked at Luigi's face, but he moved Bandit in the way and he received the blow, quickly knocking him out. Luigi then grabbed the air-borne Goomba and slammed him in the ground, breaking his fangs and scrapping the gums. Bandit somehow got back up and tried punching him, but his movements were so much faster and swift that Luigi managed to get behind him without him noticing, held his body and gave Bandit a full electric shock from his lightning powers and kicked him hard in the back to finish him off. Both thugs were defeated and deeply wounded mercilessly.

"**Ah, that felt so great, but you guys were hardly a warm-up," **said the disgruntled Luigi. **"There is only one person that I wish to fight. I'll find you sooner or later, Mr. Jumps-all-the-Time, but for now, I'll let myself have some fun." **

Suddenly, the L of his cap flipped backwards and his eyes were no longer blue and gentle, but grey and devious.

"**The Green Thunder, Mr. L, is back in action! **

The abnormal plumber laughed as he nonchalantly left the two beaten muggers and searched for the exit of Bandit's Way.

___

**(A/N) **The dialogue in Mario's dream is actual text from _**Super Mario RPG**_ when they meet Smithy for the first time and **Shypers **are actual enemies in the game in the factory area. It has been a gimmick for Toads to have their names sound like a revised word ending with T like Pat T. (Patty). So, there's my lame attempt at some humor. I'd like to thank **WildGamer** for the idea of Mr. L from his story, _**Super Mario: Apocalypse**_ (check it out). I just had to put Mr. L in this. He's just so awesome! And also, the **Mr. Jumps-all-the-Time** is what Mr. L calls Mario in _**Super Paper Mario**__._ The three staff members in the Smithy Gang came from the enemies at the end of the game where there was a **clerk**, **producer**, **manager** and **factory chief**, and I made them these new guys who are humanoid designed machines. So then, where is the **clerk**? Well, somewhere… Again, tell me what you think. Please and thank you. ^-^

**How does Mario plan to face the Mecha inside Koopa Bros. Fortress? What sort of secrets did Merlon mean that Mario must uncover to stop the revitalized Smithy Gang? Just what are the "Artifacts" they are searching for? And what is to become of Luigi now that Mr. L has been reborn as well?**

**Next time…**

**Mario:** Alright, time to put this new Smithy Gang down in their place! It's sure not going to be easy sneaking into the fortress with these new machine monsters guarding the place.

**???: **Don't worry, Mario! We got your back on this one!

**Mario:** Hey! Who's there? I can't believe. It's you guys again!

**-???-: **Better believe it! We're not about to let these creeps have their way either.

***???*: **It's just like old times, huh?

**Mario: **You bet! Alright, guys! Let's storm this place and whack these weirdos!

**Episode 3: **_**Retaliation: Infiltrate Koopa Bros. Fortress**_


	3. Retaliation

This one is slightly shorter than the first two, but it's still a long chapter. I didn't expect the first few chapters to be so long. I hope I don't make this into a habit. There's so much a person is willing to read at one time and looking at this now, this is going to be a **long** story. But perseverance is the key to success!! I want to do a **character profile** and **artwork** for this story soon to give my viewers an idea how I pictured these OCs.

Oh, and **Happy Holidays to you!!**

**Struggling after the attack on Toad Town, Mario was determined to find out what was going on. With the help of a hyper Toadette named Pat, Mario got advised from the medium, Merlon, and learned that the Smithy Gang is using Koopa Bros. Fortress as a hideout. Meanwhile, an unexpected transformation had taken over Luigi, and now he calls himself by Mr. L, an entity that dwells within Luigi's subconscious. And Mr. L desires revenge against the plumber hero. With twists and turns everywhere, what dangers lie ahead for the Mario? The next chapter is here…**

**___**

Chapter 3: Retaliation: Infiltrate Koopa Bros. Fortress

In a few hours, Mario managed to exit Mushroom Way and head toward the east onto Pleasant Path. He continued to travel through the trees and shrubs to avoid detection from any enemies he might come across. Merlon and his conversation still dwelled in his mind. Their conclusion that it is the Smithy Gang attacking baffled him. 'How could they have survived,' he would keep asking himself. It just made him consider that they might not be the same weapons and creatures he and his friends fought before. That woman named Envy was certainly unfamiliar. They most likely started making new models. He could only imagine what other machine monsters he would have to fight against.

Mario started to think about Princess Peach. Just how was her highness fairing exactly? Referring back to Daisy's letter, if it was indeed this new Smithy Gang that attacked Sarasaland, then that would mean Peach had put herself into the crossfire as well. She was most likely in danger now. But, Mario had to focus on the mission in hand: sneak inside Koopa Bros. Fortress where it was believed that the enemy may be stationed, learn whatever he could inside the stronghold, and take down anyone that has to do with the enemy.

Returning back to reality, Mario realized the ground getting wet, and the sound of running water passing through his ears. It had to be the river that flowed near the east of the Toadstool Castle, and also where he and his brother floated adrift hours ago. Out from the foliage of Pleasant Path, he came to the crossroad take led to Koopa Village and the fortress. In the distance, he could see smoke was bellowing from the little suburb. Mario just had to get down there and see if the village was still intact. The plump plumber headed down the south road, ready to face the state of the little burg before him.

After a couple of minutes, Mario arrived to the village, or at least what was left of it. There were pot holes buried into the road and the ground was torn and uprooted. Black scorch marks covered the building walls and some roofs were blown apart and pieces lay broken on the ground or inside the buildings. No one was in site and only the sound of the squeaks of the doors swinging by the hinges in the wind could be heard. The little plumber was lost for words as he looked upon the destruction. He hoped for at least some sign of life. He took a few steps into the dismantled village, careful not to trip over any debris. The next house after the other, no one was inside and the place was wrecked with furniture toppled over and the resident's belongings scattered everywhere.

Mario came inside the house with the yellow shell-shaped roof with a large hole gapping at the top. If memory recalled, this was Kolorado's home, the so called famed archeologist that travelled the entire world. In Kolorado's backroom, many papers and books were cluttered and crumpled on the floor as always. Mario noticed a single, open book on the table. He walked over to skim it and found one line highlighted. He started reading aloud to himself. "…and so his heart reached the pinnacle of its sanctity and immorality, and the Stars deemed him worthy to possess divine power to banish an entity of absolute corruption and silence." Curious, Mario flipped the book over to find its title but saw that the front cover and pages were eaten away by strange yellow ooze.

"Yeow!" he shouted.

He quickly backed away and fell as he saw the front of his shoe smoking! He stared at the desk again and saw more of the ooze dripping from underneath and from the corner of the ceiling, still corroding the wooden desk. "What is this gunk?" the little plumber questioned as he looked in disgust. "It looks like…slime?" He continued to look as it poured under the desk's legs, and finally, it collapsed as it sizzled away and rapidly dried up. "Weird. It was still wet when I came in here and it dried so fast." An idea popped into his head. "Someone was in here not long ago." As he inspected the dried up pieces of what used to be a desk, Mario saw two distorted shadows casting on the desk from the beam of sunlight coming from above his head. A chill ran down his back. He inconspicuously grasped one of the desk's legs, spun sharply and chucked the wood at the two dark figures. He managed to hit one, but the other bloated its cheeks up and spat at him. He jerked out of the way and saw the splattered wall dissolving! The attacker winded up for another assault, but the pyrokinetic plumber launched a fireball and hit its target.

Not wanting to stay around, Mario scurried out of the house, but once outside, coming from behind the bushes, his attackers appeared. They were two small toad-like creatures with dark red bodies with many brown bumps covering their stubby arms and body. The lips were thick, dripping with their acidic saliva, and they were a lighter shade a brown and their orange eyes were so small and beady you didn't think they had eyes. Mario moved into a fighting pose as the monsters bared closer. _"Are these the guys who attacked the village? I don't remember these monsters."_

"Heh, hehe, heh! It seems we have an unfortunate guest," one said.

"That red cap and mustache sure sounds familiar. It's definitely that Mario thing," another informed.

"What are _you _guys called?" the plumber asked. The monsters bloated their cheeks yet again and spat balls of acid his way. Mario easily dodged and tried to jump on them, but they had quick reflexes and stuck out their long tongues like whips. Mario had good reflexes too and managed to curve his body out of the way and ended his jump short. "Hey! It was a simple question!" he pouted.

"Hee! We're Swalloads, one of the many new weapons currently in production and were feeling really…hungry," said the last one as it smacked its lips.

Mario decided to try long distance attacks and threw another fireball at one with its tongue hanging out. The attack seemed effective as the creature fell over and screeched a terrible cry in pain, so he waited for the other one to open its mouth. As it launched it slimy tongue at him, he jumped back to the side and threw two more at both the monster's tongue and the one that was subdued. Before he could relax though, he heard the sound of familiar screeches behind him. Mario turned and looked up at the different colored rooftops behind him and found more of the Swalloads emerging from behind the roofs and in the bushes. There had to be at least ten of them piercing their eyes at the little plumber crossly.

"Oh, mamma mia…"

A wave of acidic spit flew their way toward their target. With so many coming his way so erratically, Mario had a hard time dodging and keeping his balance. One shot managed to graze his leg and he fell on his knee as he winced from the sudden pain. The Swalloads seized the opportunity, jumped and surrounded the plumber while he was down. From under his cap, he could see their toothy grins as tongues hung down their chins. The stout hero couldn't possibly avoid them in time. His heart raced as they reared their final attack.

A blue blur zoomed past the plumber's eye and struck two of the machine monsters out that they rusted and crumbled. While they were distracted, Mario took his good leg and spun in a circle to kick two more and hop out of the way. The six provoked creatures lashed their tongues at him again, but the blue object, which looked like a shell, rotated and slammed into the incoming whips, and from behind one of them, a fungus in a blue cap, pounced on its head multiple times. Finally, the remaining five charged the fighters when a pink bomb landed in front of them and exploded, taking out everything in its radius. All the Swalloads were charred and lie motionless. Suddenly, their bodies rust into an orange-brown and finally crumble into pieces.

Mario tried to recollect himself as he sat up from the ground and smiled under his mustache. "It's been a while, hasn't it guys?" His three rescuers came up to him and smiled as well.

"Where would you be without _us_?"

It was none than friends: Goombario the Goomba, Kooper the Koopa, and Bombette the Bob-omb who helped him save the world in one of his last adventures. Kooper extended his hand to help the plumber up.

"It's so great to see you again, man," Kooper started.

"Yeah, I would never think we'd meet up like this," Goombario joked.

"Are you ok? You're not hurt are you?" Bombette asked.

Mario chuckled a bit. "I'm alright thanks to you guys. But, I should be asking you that. Kooper, just what happened here?" he asked becoming more serious.

"It was crazy! Goombario came over to visit Bombette and me for some Mario Party…"

"I was winning by the way," the little goomba smirked.

Bombette simply narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Only by one star you did."

"_When_," he continued, "those creepy metal guys just barged into the village and caused trouble. We tried to take them on, but there were too many of them and they had the villagers taken hostage."

"Even those jerks, the Koopa Bros., got themselves caught. We couldn't risk getting the villagers hurt if we tried to fight back, so we had to escape into the back woods and plan ahead," Goombario added.

"As we made our way out of the village, the last thing we saw was a flash of light and heard everyone screaming. Oh, poor Mrs. Kolorado, Koopa Koot, and even Bruce…" Bombette said with concern as she lowered her pink body.

Mario rubbed to his chin. "I thought as much. So they really are here in this area."

"Do you know who these guys are, Mario?" Goombario asked.

"Yeah. They're called the Smithy Gang, a bunch of robotic monsters and weapons who once tried to take over the planet."

"And I bet you and your pals kicked butt, right?" Kooper asked with a grin.

"Well, I thought we did. This is just as confusing for me as it's for you. They also attacked Toad Town and I suspect Sarasaland, too, but I got a lead that they're hiding out in Koopa Bros. Fortress." Mario placed his hands on his hips and smiled. "So, are you ready to help save the day for old time's sake?"

"YEAH!!" all three jumped up, ready for adventure.

Now with some help backing up the plumber hero, the party of four raced down Pleasant Path toward the old Koopa stronghold.

___

Toad Town was nearly left in the same devastating state as Koopa Village. Bowser's army had raided many of the main hub's the homes and shops. The buildings and roads were smashed and broken from the impacted of Bullet Bills and Bob-ombs, and the castle had received damage as well, but luckily it was still intact. The sudden blast from the enemy's flying fortress added to the destruction and most, if not all, of the people in the city were taken away to who knows where.

It was starting to get windy and dust from the debris blew everywhere. Out from the cloud of dirt, a dark figure strolled down the street from the south of Bandit's Way. He held on to his cap to keep it from flying off his dark, brown curly hair and winced as dust flew into his grey eyes. Luigi, or rather his dark alter-ego Mr. L, gazed upon the damaged city before him, but neither sadness nor fear came to him. "Man, what a dump. Those guys sure did a number on this place. They never saw it coming," he grinned in amusement.

All he could think about was where he could find the group of robot monsters for payback and also Mario so he can have his way with him. As a matter of fact…

He looked down at himself, tugged on one of his overall straps and sneered at his appearance. "There's no way I'm going to walk around looking like that frightened green plumber for much longer.

One of the dismantled stores that caught his eye was a clothing department. Before he could cause havoc on his victims, he just had to look the part. Inside was very dark for the power was knocked out. Mr. L leisurely walked down the aisles, scanning whatever remaining clothes there are on the racks but none of the spoke to him, probably because of the fact that most of the clothing are for Toads and Toadettes and they were too small for him. Why would they stock clothes for humans anyway? Other than himself and Mario, there would be no point since the Mario Bros. wore the same thing every day!

About to give up on his search, Mr. L noticed one section of the store still had power. It was the costume section. Again, he had the problem of the outfits being too small. He nearly walked away when he saw a black mask in a shattered display case. He remembered wearing such an accessory before during the whole Chaos Heart and Count Bleck fiasco to hide his identity. He tried it on and it surprisingly fit quite comfortably on him. "It's not much, but it will do for now. At least no one will recognize me."

He left the store and decided to the castle for some clues. Before he could get far, he paused and said, "Looks like I have some company." Four shadows bounced behind him. They were a few of the many mechanical Shypers left behind to guard the area. Two bounced in front of him to block his way forward.

"Well, lookie here. It seems we have another straggler that avoided extraction. That simply won't do," one said.

"You must be one dumb idiot to just waltz up in here and to what, do some clothes shopping?" another laughed.

"What kind of guy wears a mask on his face? Do you have that much of an ugly mug?" the third one added.

"Enough jokes! Let's take care of him and bring him to that stone fortress," ordered the final one.

All four Shypers hopped closer toward Mr. L, ready to strike him with their springy sword tips. Finally, one jumped, aiming straight for his head. Mr. L sighed and whispered, "So…annoying."

He side-stepped avoiding the assault and slammed his arm against the Shy Guy monster's back, sending it flying through the window of the store. The other three gawked for a moment when Mr. L turned again. "Who's next?"

"You cocky human!" one shouted as it charged the dark entity. Mr. L jerked back to miss the Shyper's jump and punched it right in its stomach making it gag and fall over. The last two teamed up and spew flames at him. Mr. L charged his Thunderhand, creating dark green flexes of lightning and shot at the orbs of fire which canceled out and still hit both Shypers. All four monsters were down and could barely get back up.

"What a waste of my time. Don't even bother getting up. See you around, L-osers."

He resumed his walk toward the castle completely ignoring the beaten up gang of machine monsters, but one reached for the collar of its coat and put it to its mouth. "We have a rogue wanderer heading toward the castle. Intercept him now!"

Within minutes, the masked villain was at the gates of Toadstool Castle slowing stepping onto the royal grounds. Suddenly, he felt the wind picking up again. He stopped and sighed once more. "You certainly are persistent for robot freaks," he said.

Everywhere. In the trees, bouncing from the moat and lake, on the spires of the castle, and even standing in plain sight, Shypers were everywhere allowing Mr. L no chance to escape.

"Heh, how slick are you now, you mustached fool! We won't even give you an opportunity to surrender! We will break you until there is nothing left!" one threatened him in the crowd.

Even though he was in a tough situation, Mr. L just smiled. "A-mazing. You're so desperate that you have to bring this many guys to take me down. Pathetic."

"Shut your trap!!! You will know the terror that is our world! KILL HIM!!!"

All at once, every Shyper blew fireballs, hundreds aimed for their hapless victim. Every one of them could only believe that this was the stranger's end. The wave of fire nearly made impact when sparks of lightning burst from his body, destroying all of the fire. "What's this?!!" shouted the mob of Shypers.

Mr. L chortle even louder to his attackers. **"Kill me? Oh no. I just got here** **and there's so much for me to do. You will not get in my way."**

He lifted his arms up beside him and suddenly, he began to change as if one of the Mario Bros. would touch a Fire Flower. His white gloves and brown boots turned into a shade of gray. A dark green handkerchief appeared and wrapped around his neck. Finally, his green plumber's outfit transformed into a black jumpsuit leaving the two yellow buttons and a belt scrapped around his waist. Behind his mask, his greyeyes shimmered with a dark green highlight in his irises.** "Now, I will let you see exactly why it is **_me_** that you should fear." **

The sparks of electricity circulating his body moved more rapidly and grew larger. The Shy Guy monsters continued to launch fireballs but they would disappear before reaching him. Mr. L opened his mouth. **"Thunder Chaos!!" **A rage of dark green, giant lightning bolts erupted from his body from all different directions, obliterating anything unfortunate to get struck by it. The screams from the Shypers echoed across the entire city and stopped in mere moments as quickly as they started.

When Mr. L was finished, he looked upon the aftermath. Over half of the monsters that threatened him had disintegrated and the bodies that managed to survive were broken into pieces, wires and fluids spilling from their inside, and they all lay motionless as they rusted and turned to dust. He started to pant to catch his breath. "Whew…that was close. I can't…use that…often," he admitted.

In the corner of his eye, Mr. L saw only one machine left moving, trying to crawl to escape but he stepped over it. He bent over and picked up the wounded Shyper by the collar. "Now, I'm looking for someone. Perhaps you know who. His name is Mario. Do you know where he's hiding?" he asked somewhat nicely with a demanding tone.

His captive struggled to speak. "There have been…reports…of the enemy roaming…the east…toward the old stone…fortress. That's all that I know."

"That's just swell. Thanks for the tip." Mr. L dropped the injured Shyper on the ground and nonchalantly walked away.

"W, who…are y…you?" it forced the words out.

"My identity is a mystery itself but I do have a name. I am the Green Thunder: **Mr. L**. But that won't really matter since you're dead now."

"Wait…wha…"

Before the last Shyper could finish, it stopped moving in mid-sentence and corroded into rust. It was finally inoperable and Mr. L knew where he had to go now.

___

While getting very windy, the sky became cloudy as well. Mario and gang ventured further down Pleasant Path which was eerily quiet. Mario had explained what happened to him so far since yesterday in greater detail along the way. As he was finishing up his story, to their surprise, the bridge leading to the stronghold was completely smashed with the planks of wood flowing down the river.

"It looks like these guys don't want any visitors," Goombario suggested.

"Heh. That's not going to stop me," Mario grinned. He put the little goomba on his shoulder, and wrapped his arms around the other two. "Hang on tight!" He took a good running start, bent his legs, and leapt high in one bound, landing safely on the other side of the river.

"Wow, Mario! You've been practicing your jumps haven't you?" Bombette complemented.

"Well, I try," the plumber blushed.

In the horizon, the towers and ruins of Koopa Bros. Fortress came into view. The party of fighters decided to go the rest of the way hiding in the trees. Shortly, they came across their first signs of machine monsters patrolling the outer courtyard. There were more of the toad creatures guarding the stone arc entrance and mostly the front door. They could even see newly installed cameras and lights on the wall.

"This is not going to be easy," said Kooper as he watched the guards.

Goombario scanned around and spotted two guards carrying a large steel cage. "Hey guys, look at that."

Inside the cage was a group of Toadstools, Koopas, and Bob-ombs who were extremely pale in color going through the front door.

"Those poor people… We have to help them! But, how are we going to get inside?" Bombette wondered.

Mario diligently searched when he saw a drain on the stone wall that flowed into the river. "That's our way in," he pointed.

Without drawing attention to them, Mario took Bombette into his arm as well as Kooper allowing Goombario to sit on his blue shell since they both can't swim, and they paddled under the water through the dark drainage hole. The tunnel wasn't very long. They saw a light at the end. Before swimming out, they crept to the sides and checked to see if it was safe. No one was in sight so they pulled themselves out of the pool of water desperately tried to dry off.

"So far, so good," Kooper tried to lighten the mood.

Looking around, the whole room was lit up with new lights, wires, and computers on the wall. "They're really making themselves at home," Goombario joked. Mario wasn't paying attention as he cracked the door to the next room. The others peeked alongside him and recognized they were in the room with many prison cells. There were still no machine monsters which didn't calm the party's nerves.

Mario and gang gazed into the darkness of the cells and let out a gasped as he saw the innocent citizens captives. They all gave them blank stares and their skin, scales, or whatever covered their bodies were more sickly toned than before. They couldn't help but to think that they were really dead.

"Hey, Koover, Mort, Koopa Koot, get up!" Kooper called at one cage.

"Mrs. Kolorado and Bruce, are you here!?" Bombette worried.

The others kept calling to them, but could barely get a response. Mario glanced at the last cell and saw a Toad with a white mustache, and a brown cap with darker spots grouped with more prisoners. "Toadsworth!"

He ran to him and stuck his arm through the bars to touch his hand which was getting cold. "Toadsworth! Are you alright?! Come on, say something!" He shook his arm violently, but still no reaction.

"Hey, I found four colored Koopas in this one," said Kooper. Mario walked over and saw they were piled on one another. "Hold on," Mario pondered. _"Red, yellow, green and black shells?"_It suddenly dawned on him. "They're the Koopa Bros.!"

"Are you serious?!" Kooper gawked at the four Koopas again. "Wow. You know, I've never seen them without their masks before. They look pretty out of it, too, Mario."

The red plumber reached for Red Koopa's hand. He felt cold as well and his pulse was slow. Suddenly, the koopa's hand clutched his gloved hand, startling Mario as he yelped. Red Koopa lazily opened his eyes which were glazing over dilated. "…yo…pl-plum...ber"

"I can't believe it…" Bombette whispered.

"Red, can you hear me? Are there more people here? Can you tell us where the others are?" Mario asked while shaking the koopa's arm to keep him awake.

The sluggish ninja blinked slowly and roamed his eyes back to the plumber. "The t,top…go to t-the…top…to-wer…they h-have…" he muttered. Red used all of his strength to stay up, but despite his effort, he fell back to sleep.

"Red!" Mario called to him, but it was too late.

"We gotta get them out, but the bars look too thick for my bomb attacks to even dent them," said Bombette.

Mario grasped the bar and ignited his hand, but all it did was make the metal glow red. "And it looks like they're fire-proof, too. I can't melt it."

"We wouldn't even be able to move them out of here without getting caught," Goombario argued. "We have to find out how to make them better, and Red just said these jerks have something in the highest part of the fortress."

"He's right. The only way to fix the problem is to find the problem. Let's head to the top," Mario ordered.

"Right!" the others agreed.

Mario and gang geared up to climb the tower.

**BEEEEEP!!! BEEEEEP!!!**

An alarm was sounding off when they stepped into the next room spiraling toward the top. A wad of slime darted right toward them, but Mario threw a fireball and evaporated it. Sticking to the walls with their hands and feet, the red toad machines fixed their glares on the intruders.

"Hee, hee, hee, he! Such idiots! They really thought they could break in our new lair. But we've been waiting for _you_."

"So much for stealth. How did they know we were here?" Bombette wondered.

"Our security cameras are very camouflaged that you didn't notice we've been spying on you since the prisoner's room," a Swalload answered.

Goombario squinted hard at the wall to finally find the camera matching the dark gray color of the wall almost perfectly. "Aww, fungus!"

Mario raised his fist, "You ugly toads better turn everyone back to the way they were and set them free!"

"Hah!" another laughed as it crawled to block the door behind them. "To do that, you have to consult with the boss and he doesn't take kindly to intruders." It let its drooling tongue hang. "If you wanna reach the top, you have to get past us…"

Both of the stout hero's fists burst into flames as he got into pose with the others. "Some escorts you are. Bring it on!"

___

A dank room was illuminated by large containers glowing in a pale blue color with more prison cells surrounding the walls. A large figure stood in the middle constantly staring at the containers intensely. "Grrr, after all that work, not one of these creatures had one of the Artifacts in their Essence." The figure stomped its heavy foot, rattling everything around it. "This is becoming a nuisance. What if this world is not the one housing that ancient power? I'm beginning to doubt this whole mission…"

"Boss!" a voice cried out. Suddenly, a Swalload crawled down the wall room and landed behind the shadow.

"What do you want?" its boss asked gruffly.

"That plumber creature called Mario and his partners have entered the fortress and are slowly taking out our forces. It won't be long until they reach here."

"So these punks are here to cause trouble?" The shadow turned to the frightened Swarrow with its concealed red eyes and thick mouth showing pleasure. "Finally, something that's worth my time. Let them come if they can. I will personally see to it that their heads are delivered to our lord."

___

The battle was difficult but nothing the four fighters couldn't handle. As they attempted to run up the stairs, there were ambushes waiting for them, but Goombario's quick jumps knocked them off balance while Mario used his fire attacks to catch any who tried to attack from above. Kooper and Bombette would clean up with their multiple strike abilities. They repeated the strategy until they made it to the final floor. Two Swalloads guarded the last door. One managed to latch its tongue around the plumber's arm, but he set it ablaze and burned the monster's tongue black. It released its hold on him and he socked it with his Fire Punch into the other one and Kooper knocked them both out of the way.

Mario didn't hesitant to push the double doors open, and sunlight hitting their faces made them cringed as their eyes adjusted. When they could see again, they stood on the long bridge leading to the other side of the fortress. They began to walk down the stone path when they heard a deep voice ringing in their ears.

"Gruk, guk, guk, guk!!! So you are the infamous Mario? There's not much to look at!"

The four fighter frantically searched the area to find the voice but there was nowhere for a person to hide.

"Where are you?!" Mario shouted.

There was stillness in the blowing air and there was no reply from the voice. Mario looked to his feet and saw a shadow getting larger and larger around them. It could only mean…

"LOOK OUT!!" one of his friends yelled. He didn't care who it was so long as they all scrambled from his or her spot before the figure crashed from right above them, sending rubble in all directions. Mario landed on his feet but still skidded on the soles of his shoes while the others stood back up.

Everyone stared at the formidable presence. It resembled the Swalloads but it had a huge purple metal body, sunlight gleaming off the black spikes and big black lips had a full set of sharp teeth and a red tongue with a gold piercing. Its arms and stubby legs were muscular down to their outsized, webbed hands and feet. It stood from its crouch position, turned to the little man, and its bright red eyes loomed in the shadows inside the silver helmet over its face.

"My name is Groggu, the master Mecha of this fortress and all trespassers must be terminated!" it declared.

Mario and party snared at the towering weapon and prepared themselves for their battle with the warm wind blowing in their way.

___

**(A/N)** I was inspired to do this fanfic when I recalled my fantasy to make my own **Mario RPG** when I was younger. It was just something I did during my summers. Since that wasn't going to happen, writing a story based from those ideas is the next best thing I guess. So I really think of this story as if I was playing a real Mario RPG and now we're coming to the boss fight. (Looking at this, my names for these enemies suck!) Mario's current party won't be around much longer. I put them there since they are relevant to this area from _**Paper Mario**_ and he needed a team for this next battle. I promise, those who you are waiting for (I know who because you told me) **will** show up in their respective times.

**Mario and friends finally face the boss of Koopa Bros. Fortress. Will they have the power to thwart this villain and save everyone or will Mr. L reach Mario just in time to destroy him? **

**Next time…**

**Mario: **We came this far and it looks like this machine is the one in charge! Our only chance to save the prisoners is in that room behind him. Let's show this over-sized toad what we're made of!

**Goombario: **What do you think he takes to get so big? I want to be bigger…

**Bombette: **Will you stop clowning around?! He's trying to eat us alive!

**Kooper: **Hey, do you get the feeling we're not the only ones here?

**Mario: **Yeah, I feel it, too. Is there someone else in that room?

**???: **………

**Mario: **Who is that?! Are you a friend or foe?

**???: **The one called Mario…you and your allies are not the ones to save this world from the impending destruction.

_**Episode 4: Mario vs. the Toad Mecha Groggu **_


	4. Mario vs the Toad Mecha, Groggu

My god. Another long chapter. -_- But here it is at last!! ^-^

___

**While investigating Koopa Village, Mario ran into more than he could chew. He was almost devoured by frog-like eating machines when Mario's former party, Goombario, Kooper and Bombette came to his rescue. Together, they braved the dangers of Koopa Bros. Fortress where they discovered the missing hostages from both Toad Town and Koopa Village. Mr. L also had a run in with the enemy but quickly disposed of them from the capitol and learned of Mario's whereabouts. After battling their way up to the top of the fortress, they met face-to-face with the enemy boss, the Mecha named Groggu. Can our heroes defeat this monster in time to bring everyone back to normal? **

___

Chapter 4: Mario vs. the Toad Mecha, Groggu

He didn't bother to take the discreet approach. Mr. L barged into the front courtyard, knocking out any machine monsters in his rampage. He knew his adversary was here; he could sense it. _"But where?"_ he constantly asked himself. Before entering the stronghold, an explosion went off, and pieces of rubble fell from the higher parts of the wall. He looked up and saw the bridge that interconnected the towers of the fortress. He could see shadows moving about on the bridge, but he couldn't make out who or what it was. Mr. L ran inside the fortress to personally get a better look.

___

The battle had just started and already the Mecha named Groggu was wearing Mario's team down. His body proved to be tough as Bombette's bomb attacks barely did any damage. The helmet on his head would only give Goombario a headache as his tried to land his Headbonk moves. Groggu may have been large, but he was quick enough to keep Mario and party dodging more instead of attacking. As Mario landed, he charged the frog monster, jumped and swung his leg for a kick. Gruggu saw him coming and grabbed his leg at the last second. He twirled the plumber over his head and threw him down hard into the stone. Mario was really dazed and the large machine tried to crush him under his weight, but he felt something rush under his stubby legs. Kooper swiftly spun around Groggu's feet to make him trip, giving Mario a chance to pull himself out of the crater.

"Argh! This guy is like a rock. Nothing we seem to do will hurt him!" Bombette complained. She turned her pink body to the Goomba. "Goombario, why don't you do your Tattle thing and find his weak points?"

The little boy Goomba shrugged a little. "What do you think I am an encyclopedia? I don't know anything about this guy."

Confusion hit the side of the Bob-omb's head. "W, wait. You mean…you actually have to _know_ about an enemy to actually Tattle on it?" She asked as she hunched her black eyes.

"Well, yeah," Goombario answered. "I can't talk about an enemy if I know nothing about it. I had to have studied about it somewhere. It doesn't just magically pop into my brain.

Bombette cocked her body yet again. "Really?! Huh…I just assumed that all you had to do was say 'Tattle' and then that screen pops up from nowhere and you…"

The blue-capped Goomba interrupted as he shook his head. "Nope. It's more complicated than that. You see, what happens is…"

"Will you two shut up?!" a voice boomed in their ears. Groggu had gotten himself up and stomped with his webbed foot. The aftershock forced Goombario and Bombette to fall from their feet roll over backwards.

"Hey, watch it pal! No one does that to my friends!" a bright blue shell shouted as it rammed at Groggu's head.

He barely flinched but only got angrier. "Why you little punk!" The toad machine threw its spiked arm and slapped Kooper across the bridge, right over Mario's head, and landed behind him.

The red plumber turned back and scowled at the Mecha with a displeased look.

"Gruk, guk guk guk!" Groggu laughed at his four opponents. "Don't tell me that this is the best you can do? I can't see why my lord had anything to be afraid of!"

Mario stood back up after he recovered for the machine just stirred his curiosity. "This so called 'lord' of yours," he began, "is he the same man named Smithy? Has he somehow been revived?" Mario asked, hoping to get the monster to talk.

"Smithy?" Groggu looked down at the little plumber, furrowing his lips. "Ah, yes. I heard of him as I was being built. Our last lord was destroyed years ago by _your_ hands and by a few of your allies. But…we serve a new lord and now _he_ commands us machines and our alternate reality."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Mario quickly argued. "We made sure your dimensional factory was destroyed. Where did you all come from?"

Groggu chuckled at the plumber. "I suppose I can tell you; it won't matter in the end after all. Smithy was indeed destroyed along with his factory beyond the Gate of the sword monster, Exor." He shifted his head to guide everyone's eyes up to where the once beautiful sky had recently been fracture, leaving an infinite dark hole in its place. "But that did not mean the dimension we dwell from was obliterated as well. A small division of his remaining machines was left behind when he first invaded this blue planet. Though Smithy may be gone, he had left someone who would continue his sovereignty in that dimension and rebuild his metallic empire. He was Smithy's one and only apprentice and his true successor of the Smithy Gang."

Everyone's heart's skipped a beat as they bared witness to the Mecha's words. "So…there were others hiding away just in case your last invasion failed." the short plumber realized. What he had feared all this time was true: The Smithy Gang lives, but someone completely different is now leading that organization. Mario swallowed as he sweated behind his neck and looked up at the monster with unchanged eyes. "And what is the name of his successor?" the plumber asked silently, waiting for the answer.

Groggu smiled, showing his sharp fangs and his red eyes glowed inside his helmet. "If want to find out, you'll have to beat me first. That is _if_ you can?"

With that said, Mario's team got back on their feet, nodding their heads to the plumber. He turned back to the huge toad monster, balled his fist at him and shouted, "LET'S A GO!!"

Groggu started with a huge leap and tried to pound Goombario and Bombette under his feet. They managed to hop away. Without warning, Groggu bloated his cheeks and launched his long, pierced tongue. Mario dodged it, but the machine monster wasn't aiming for him and ensnared Bombette! He nearly pulled her in, but Mario grabbed the slimy tongue and tried to hold on to her. Kooper wrapped his arms around Mario's stomach as Goombario pushed against Mario's legs to keep him balance. It was now a tug-o-war with three against one, but weight-wise, Mario's team was losing. He could feel their grips loosening and they skid on the floor toward Groggu. Suddenly, the Mecha jerked to the side to upset the balance. Mario practically stumbled and let go of the frightened pink Bob-omb who was quickly eaten by the machine as her screams could still be heard down his throat!

The machine monster licked his lips and patted his gut with satisfaction. Mario and his remaining friends didn't know what to think or say as they were one less partner and they had to watch her game end. Mario cursed himself for letting this monster have its way and laughing in victory. "Well that's one down, only three to go," he smirked.

Mario couldn't stand the monster's gloating, so much that his arms went ablaze again and he rushed him mindlessly. Groggu lashed out his tongue again, but the fiery plumber curved to the side, missing the attack and crotched and aimed right for its head. "Fire Punch!" He did an uppercut right at his chin. The fire energy put more power in his punch, making Groggu flinch back a little, but Mario wasn't done yet. He took his other arm and jabbed another shot in the frog's stomach, twisting his fist to increase the impact. Groggu bent over as he clutched his gut, completely surprised that the short man could deal some damage on him all of the sudden. He tried to swipe at Mario with his heavy spiked arms, but a strange sensation softly churned in his belly, making him slow down. He didn't see that Kooper had withdrawn in his shell and slammed into his side. The Koopa rebounded to hit his back forcing him to topple over on his hands and knees.

"_What's going on? Why are their attacks suddenly hurting me?!"_ Groggu pondered while grabbing hold is aching stomach.

Goombario started to notice the change as well. "Hey guys. Does that dude look like he's getting sick to you?"

Mario and Kooper kept their distance and stared at the weakening Mecha as he struggled to stand. "You're right," Kooper agreed. "I hope if he up chucks, he looks the other way…"

"And you know what? Our attacks are working on his body now. Why do you think that is?" Mario added.

Groggu stood back on his feet with gritting teeth snarling at the three heroes. "What are you jabbering about?! I'm not done yet. I will devour all of you!" He manically charged toward his prey, his heavy foot stomps shaking the entire bridge. Mario and party braced themselves for the rush when all of a sudden, Groggu stopped in his tracks again and grabbed his rumbling belly as smoke came bellowing from the corners of his black mouth.

Goombario looked at the nauseous machine when an idea smacked him in the head. "I guess this overgrown toad ate one too many apparently…a _Bob-omb_ to be exact," he smiled.

"Do you mean…" Mario gasped as he understood.

Gruggu struggled through the pain and reached for the plumber, but Goombario scuttled between Mario's legs underneath the Mecha and shot straight up with a Headbonk as hard as he could into the machine's vulnerable stomach. Groggu stumbled backwards with more pain in his gut than ever. He hunched over, trying to cover his mouth, but he let out a huge gag and spewed a pink figure from his body.

"Bombette!!" all three shouted. They ran to her with Mario holding her sticky body and messy ponytail fuse. "Bombette, are you alright?" he worried.

"Wake up, please!" Goombario cried.

"Say something, girl!" said Kooper.

Slowly, two black pupils opened and gazed at her friends. She took a breath and whispered. "I…s-seriously need…a…a bath." Sure that she was ok, all four heroes smiled.

But they couldn't forget the enemy before them. Groggu violently coughed as he tried to breathe. When he was done, he glared crossly at his four opponents, as the red glow of his eyes grew larger and it seemed like they split into a smaller pair right above the first pair, and the spikes on his arms and back stuck out higher and sharper in his fury. "HOW DARE YOU?!!" he roared as the force of his breath struck Mario and gang. "I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL! THIS IS THE END OF YOU ALL! FEEL THE POWER OF THE SMITHY GANG!!"

Suddenly, a green diamond-shaped jewel emerged from the metal of the helmet and glowed in a bright radiance. "Move!" Mario shouted as his instincts told him so. They jumped in different directions as a beam of light shot from the jewel, barely missing them and scorched the stone floor. _"I recognize that beam. It's the same kind of weapon that green haired woman used!_" Mario recalled.

"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE! I WILL SEND YOU ALL TO THE UNDERWHERE!!" Groggu declared. He charged up for another attack.

"Guys! Don't let that beam hit you no matter what!" Mario warned.

Again, Groggu fired three more shots, with which Mario and friends managed to avoid, but the battle had worn them down that they knew they couldn't dodge forever. They regrouped as the Mecha drew closer toward them.

"The beams are coming from that jewel on his helmet. We have to smash that thing!" Goombario insisted.

"But he won't let us get close. We need to distract him long enough to hit it," said Kooper.

"Ma-rio," the weary Bob-omb called. She was still in the plumber's arms as she looked up at him. "While…I was inside his stomach, I noticed how he was very soft…despite his metallic form. He may be tough on the outside, but he can be hurt from the inside. I've been using my Bomb attacks…to make him spit me out."

"Which weakened his body for us to attack him," Mario figured.

"If we can somehow get close to attack him, it will give someone a chance to destroy that jewel. And then it will be the matter of delivering the final blow," Goombario suggested.

"Do you think you can move, Bombette?" Mario asked.

"Y-Yeah. I want payback more than anything now," she nodded with fiery eyes.

"Alright then," he set her down. "It's now or never. Let's do this!"

The toad Mecha nearly launched another beam of light when Goombario and Bombette teamed up and ran towards him. Groggu cancelled the attack and stomped his foot to crush the Goomba and Bob-omb. Goombario leaped in the air to draw Groggu's attention while Bombette slid behind him to perform a Bomb attack. The machine monster swatted the little Goomba before he could hit the jewel, but the Bomb attack was set off and severely injured his back. Kooper took the opportunity to charge his Shell Shot, rapidly spinning in one spot while Mario bounced all over the place and threw fireballs to confuse Groggu. Kooper finished his charge and unleashed his Super Shell Shot move, zooming at a speed unlike before right at the green jewel. Getting aggravated, the Mecha jumped up and pounded the ground to fling Goombario and Bombette back by the vibration, causing the bridge to crack further. He grabbed the hopping plumber by the arm and tossed him out of the way. Kooper's shell nearly reached Groggu's helmet, but he put up his spiked arms to block the attack and sent the shell flying back.

With all four fighters down, he was ready to shoot them with his jewel. The bright light was almost at its peak as it shone in the eyes of the frightened party. However, unknowing to the Mecha, Mario wasn't knocked out from the toss. All in a second, he jumped on his recovery, got in front of the spinning shell and kicked it hard to increase its speed back at Groggu's head. However, he shot another beam from his jewel and it hit the shell with Groggu laughing uncontrollably. His expression quickly changed for the beam had no affect on Kooper since his shell was spinning so fast it was dispersing the beam. Before he could do anything, the blue shell hit its mark and shattered it into tiny shards.

Groggu was utterly stunned and couldn't move. Mario knew he had to finish the job. One last time, he ignited his Firebrand and created a fireball in his hand that, with each second, grew bigger in his palm then dashed straight for the Mecha. Groggu made an attempt to crush the speeding plumber by putting his hands together and slammed down with the balled fist. In one brief moment, Mario missed the hit by squeezing underneath the space between Groggu's arms. The red clad hero jumped to the monster's mouth and stepped on the bottom lip and pushed the other up. He jabbed his hand inside his mouth and let loose a blast of fire energy down his throat into his body. The machine monster screamed in agonizing pain and desperately tried to close his mouth but Mario used all his strength to force it open and he couldn't move his arms because of the pain. His body glowed red from the conducting heat and parts of his spikes and metal started melting. After a few moments, Mario had no energy left and collapsed to stone floor in exhaustion.

He and his friends stared at the Mecha to see his form completely dark brown and smoking from the mouth. The helmet on his head cracked and split open, revealing a round head with a spiky spread fin, now obviously charred with four yellow frog-like eyes glazed and dilated. Groggu fell over backwards, still not showing any kind motion.

Mario's party cheered in victory, jumping for joy and patting each other on the back for a job well done. While it was a time to be rejoicing, Mario still had a serious manner on his face as he got up. The others caught on to the plumber's behavior and realized that they still weren't quite done. Mario cautiously walked over to the burnt body. He stood right over it and noticed the eyes were regaining some color and blinking out into space. Mario opened his mouth. "You still owe me some answers," he spoke to the metallic body.

Groggu tried to laugh, but it was difficult in his condition. "I guess I do. After all you earned it."

"You just tried to shoot us with that beam that takes away one of those lights that comes from a body. I think you guys call it an 'essence'. Just what is it? Why are you taking them and where are those that you've stolen right now?" a number of questions came from the plumber's mouth.

"I can't possibly tell you all that," Groggu admitted, much to the plumber's disappointment, "but what I can say is that those lights are the essence of people's souls converted into a visible crystal by our technology. They are the key to our conquest of this world. No one will escape from extraction so long as they have this mass of energy that reflects their purity and darkness." Groggu then smiled maliciously. "Without it, the victim will be doomed to perish."

Mario, including his friends gasped and panicked as all the prisoners in the fortress has either lost their Essence at least in half a day more! Was it already too late for them?!

"Tell us where the ones that you have stolen are right now!" Kooper demanded.

Groggu smiled again. "If you look in the room behind you in the next tower, you might find something interesting. With me shutting down, all of my minions will also be terminated, so there shouldn't be any trouble. _How_ you save those people will depend on you." Suddenly, Groggu's body started to rust and crumble like all of the other machine monsters so far. "Looks like…it's about time…f…for me to g…get scrapped," he said calmly.

"Wait! You still haven't answered me one thing," Mario added. The Mecha roamed his eyes at the plumber, but he could feel his systems failing and he was losing his vision as more rust was corroding his body. "What is the name of your leader?"

Groggu strained to let his voice out, but he was nearly succumbed to his fate as only his lips were still free. "H…hi…his n…ame…is…M……me……ta…"

It was over. Groggu was gone and defeated.

But still, Mario wasn't satisfied. He let out a long sigh as he watched the former body the toad Mecha decay into dust and blowing in the wind. "I feel like I still don't know anything. Just what in the world is going on here?" After the wind blew, all that was left of Groggu was the metal piercing on his tongue. Looking closely, it was about the size of his hand, round, and had a strange shape sticking at the end. It was weird how it was the only thing that didn't disintegrate with the body so he picked it up, examined it a little more, and then put it in his other pocket.

"Hey, Mario?" Kooper called from behind him. He kept his distance as if he didn't want to upset the plumber any further. "Come on buddy. Maybe we didn't get a lot out of that creep, but at least we know that we have a chance to save everyone here. It's better than nothing, right?"

Mario forced a smile and nodded his head. With some reassurance, Mario took out his pouch and gave a Mushroom to everyone and once they were all healed, they made their way to the next door, hoping what Groggu said was true.

___

It seemed like the spiraling staircase went on forever. The tower shared a similar dank and clammy darkness, but something about the air tickled the plumber's unkempt moustache. Each step they took echoed off the walls, causing Mario's friends to hug close to him. In a few moments, the group noticed a faint, light-blue glow coming from around the corner. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, a large corridor stretched far in a distance to another door. The light was coming from behind the door from the bottom opening. Mario paused as he looked at it. He grabbed the doorknob, which was quite large, slowly turning it and cracked the door to peer inside.

Much to their surprise, the room was filled with many complicated machinery and equipment. Surrounding all the walls were more jail cells filled with more of the pale and lifeless looking captives. Goombario and the others worried over the prisoners while Mario still explored the area. In the back, he found the source of the illuminating light. At least four large containers were spaced evenly across the wall. Mario took a closer look, squinted his eyes through the fog inside. It was like staring into nothingness and he didn't want to ruin his eyes, so he was about to look away when he saw something that resembled a star. In the pale, blue fog, several other lights appeared until they were filling the entire tank. Mario stepped back to realize that he had found them, the so called Essences of the prisoner's souls.

"Hey guys!" he called to his party, "I found them! This is it!" The others ran toward him, eager to see what Mario had discovered. "These are those Essences that I mentioned about earlier.

"Wow. They really _do_ look like stars," Bombette commented in awe. "Now it's just the problem of how we're going to put them back to whom they belong too."

"Well, don't you think that we should bust them out now?" Kooper wondered.

"But we don't know what will happen. It might just cause more trouble," Goombario disagreed.

All four of them scratched their heads, pondering of a way to solve this problem and fast.

"Hmph. You wish to save your world and yet you don't even know how to…"

Everyone was startled by the mysterious voice. They frantically scanned the room, cautiously wondering away from the tanks and around the area for where it was coming from but had no luck.

"Who's there?" Mario shouted in the air, but there was no response.

Suddenly, they heard a sound behind them. They spun around and saw a figure from out of nowhere standing in front of the four containers. It was not much taller than Mario, wearing a black cloak with a hood with interesting gold patterns and designs of stars and spirals that ran down to the bottom. If one looked closely, the figure was actually floating, just slightly, and it had concealed itself so well that you couldn't tell if it had any limbs or even a face. Nonchalantly, the stranger walked over to the tanks and stared intensely with no sudden movements.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Kooper jumped up. "If you're after those little orbs of light, then you're asking for trouble!" The figure simply ignored his threat and scrolled over to the next container.

"Are you even listening to us?!" said Bombette getting really annoyed. Again, the cloaked person acted as if no one was there and observed the last two glowing tanks.

"Who the heck is this guy? Is he with the bad guys?" Goombario asked.

"I don't know about you, but this guy is suspicious! I say we take him out!" Kooper insisted as he clutched his hands.

They all carefully took a step forward to the stranger until they heard him mutter, "It's not here."

Mario put up his arms to stop the group and watched the figure as he hung his head as if he were defeated or something. "I can't believe it," the person whispered in frustration. "After waiting all that time for those machines to steal these Essences, not one of them has an Artifact!

Slowly letting his arms down, Mario eased toward the cloaked shadow. "Tell us. Who are you? What do you want here?"

The figure quickly turned and faced the plumber which surprised Mario for a moment. Underneath his hood, everyone could feel the stranger observing them thoroughly even if they couldn't see his face. "Your form…" he started, "I've heard countless tales about _you_. The hero of the Mushroom World and even the universe. The man who they dub Super Mario."

The modest red plumber grinned as he put his rubbed the back of his head. "And what do they call you?"

"My name is Aero," he answered simply.

"Ok, what are you doing here, Aero?

"To answer your questions from before: Yes, I was listening to you. No, I'm not part of that filthy organization. And yes, I am after the Essences which you called 'lights'".

"Hah! I knew it!" Kooper pointed at the shadow. "How can you say that you're not with the enemy when you just admitted that you _are _after those lights?! He's bad news, Mario!"

"You should consider the situation first before accusing someone. I have my reasons," he tried to defended himself.

"Well, if you're not in any hurry, how about you explain it to us?" Goombario insisted.

Aero looked back at the containers with a sort of sadness under his veil. "Can't you hear them? The spirit of the victims' souls crying their every wish and dream?" Everyone looked up and focused their eyes on the tanks as well. They couldn't hear anything, but Aero must be listening to something. "Whether it is selfless, ambitious, or greedy, anyone who is able to dream and wish possesses this glimmer of star energy that ultimately binds the Stars and mortals together."

"What do the Stars have to do with this?" Bombette wondered.

"It doesn't matter," he dismissed, "but what _does_ matter is the power those machines are attempting to capture from within some _particular_ Essences."

"There's a power within these things?" Mario asked becoming more intrigued. "Are you saying that's why they suddenly showed up again and started their conquest, to search for these orbs of star energy, looking for some kind power?"

"More or less. Its origins are unknown, but when a grave war ensued in ancient years, a power was summoned to end it, and when its task was completed, it disappeared to one day be reborn if it was ever needed again. When three souls that protect the ancient treasures called the Artifacts unite, a miracle will occur, and the evil will be banished forever. The bottom line is that somewhere in this world, there are three people who are now hosting one of these Artifacts in their Essence and when placed together, they create this ancient power that can ensnare and seal even the most foul entities and domains."

"And you want this power before the Smithy Gang finds it and destroy them and their dimension permanently to save the world," Goombario concluded. Aero just nodded to reply.

"But you do know that if you take a person's Essence away for too long, they'll die, right?!" Kooper reminded him.

There was a brief pause but he answered. "I do."

"And you're going to accept that?!" Bombette yelled, astonished at his decision as well as her friends. "What is wrong with you?! You just said you wanted to _save_ the planet, but you're telling us you're going to let those individuals die?!" She turned her body toward the prison cells surrounding the room. "If we had never shown up, were you just going to leave these people to rot in their cage if they didn't have what you wanted?!"

"Of course not!" Aero shouted furiously as if he was insulted. "I am not a senseless killer, unlike the Smithy Gang! I know this sounds cruel, but these treasures are absolutely necessary." He lowered his head to the ground in shame. "I said I wanted to save this world, but I never said how……even if it was at the expense of another life."

"This is insane." Mario finally spoke out. This person's logic was baffling for him. For a while, Mario thought of this stranger to be someone who wanted to help out even if his method looked extreme, but now, the plumber could barely stand it! "Have you even thought about everything you could do? I might not understand how important this power is to you or the Smithy Gang, but I would never put an innocent person's life on the line so easily."

With his head still down, Aero turned to the side. "This is none of your concern."

"Everything about this is my concern!" Mario raised his voiced. "A maniacal group of machines and monsters are trying to conquer the planet again. Princess Peach, Daisy, even and Bowser have disappeared, leaving their kingdoms wide open to get attacked, and innocent people are getting involved in this mess as well, and you're telling me to stay out of it?! What could the Smithy Gang do that is so frightening that you would make this choice?!" Mario was panting softly the entire time, his tender and carefree blue eyes showed anger and frustration. He watched Aero, who still had a dull and emotionless composure, waiting for him to say something.

"Tell me," he directed his question to Mario. "How far are you willing to fight for the safety of this world?"

The stout plumber wasn't expecting the cloaked shadow to begin like that, but anyhow. "What do you mean? I would do everything I can, even if it were impossible."

"Yes, but to what extent?" Mario paused as he tried to understand Aero's point. "I don't doubt when that which is important to you are in peril, you will fight with the best of your ability to protect it. But, that also acts as your flaw. Your optimism to be able to save everyone is nothing more than a hero's fantasy and it will not be possible in this war."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" Kooper defended the plumber. "Are you getting off that because Mario fights for the sake of other people's safety that he's already lost?!"

"His deeds are to be admired, but in reality, to forfeit the lives of a few people is tolerable, but to surrender the whole planet for those few people is not only unreasonable, but also selfish. With what you have told me, you would most likely to do just that. This is the truth."

"No…" Mario whispered to himself. "This can't be the only way. We've stopped these guys before with our own hands. We can do it again!"

Aero shook his head in disappoint. "You're so oblivious. You can't hope to comprehend what dark force these machines have unfortunately stumbled across and they will destroy everything if they get their hands on that treasure. There is no other way." He lifted his head, making the hood of his cloak move slightly, revealing only the nose and lips of his pale skin, but it looked as though he had dark splotches in some places. His lips moved as his said, "You're supposed to be the hero. Are you willing to commit this sin for the future of your world?"

That was a question the red clad plumber was not prepared to answer. He couldn't. The thought of him purposely take another person's life was unthinkable and it rattled his mind so much he was lost at what to do, what to say.

The mysterious figure let out a sigh. "It seems I have proven my point." Aero jumped and vanished with everyone in the room desperately looking for him. He reappeared again, but this time, up on the windowsill of a cut opening on the stone wall. "You can have the Essences here; I have no need for them. Just break the containers and they will all find their way back to their owners, but I _will_ continue my search." He glanced at Mario again and then roamed his eyes on his friends. "I don't wish to become enemies, but if you or anyone gets in my way again, I won't hesitate to fight back. Because I'm willing to do _anything_ to fulfill my mission…and I'll finally be able to destroy their leader." He turned his back, ready to leave the four fighters to do as they wished.

"So does that mean you know their leader's name?" Mario called out to him. Aero looked over his shoulder and saw the plumber's eyes had their blue glow, with his confidence and determination steadily returning. "I want to hear his name. I'm going to fight them the way I know how. And in the end of all this, the Smithy Gang will be gone for good and I will prove that no one has to sacrifice themselves to do it," he declared.

Aero gave a small smile in respect. "As I listen to you say that, I almost believe you. Even if I know there is no avoiding this fate, your words still have a faint sign of hope. If there is another way, I encourage you to see it through." He looked away and the wind blew his hood off. Though you couldn't see his face, he had long pointed ears with blood colored hair curling down to his pale neck.

"His name…is Metalai" With that, he disappeared, off to continue with whatever mission that the party had disapproved.

"Metalai…" Mario repeated. He finally had a name, the one who was responsible for everything that had so far and will later on this adventure.

He felt a hand pat him on the shoulder. Kooper, along with Goombario and Bombette tried to cheer him up. He smiled back then walked up to one of the tanks, signaling the others to position themselves in front of one as well. The party of four all landed an attack of their own and smashed each container. The thick fog escaped and enveloped the room. It was difficult to see anything until a bright glow broke through. Dozens of the shining orbs forced the smoke outward and the whole room looked like floating in space. Just as quickly as they released them, the Essences rapidly flew out of the room through the walls, hopefully going to their owners. Some slowly eased toward the hostages in their cells in the room. In a few minutes, all the small lights were gone.

Mario's ears perked up as he heard grunting and murmur noises coming from all around them. "Hey, what's going on?" said a voice. A mushroom head leaned close to the bars in one cell and then a few other Koopas and Bob-ombs joined in.

"What gives? What is this dump?" another ranted. More people were waking up and the color was coming backed to their faces and bodies. It wasn't long until every cell was alive and bustling with the captured citizens trying to talk to one another and break the bars.

"Is the Mr. Mario?" one cried. Several eyes diverted toward the small group of heroes and instantly grew wide with relief. "It _is_ Mr. Mario and his friends! Please help us!" That was all they needed to hear and they quickly ran up to one of the barred cells.

"Hey. I almost forgot," Bombette began, "My bomb attacks and your fire energy are useless on this material. How are we going to break them out?" The pink Bob-omb was right. They had to think of another way. Mario scanned the room and remembered the strange machinery in the corner. He walked over and inspected it. Now, the plumber was no genius, so he had no idea what he was looking at. Luckily, the team had its own little genius. Goombario hopped up on the equipment and tinkered with a few of the knobs and buttons.

"This looks like the control panel," he figured out. "It does everything that those creeps had installed: the video cameras, the doors, and even the jail cells."

"That's great!" Kooper cheered. "Do you think you can unlock them all?"

"Their technology isn't that complicated, so it shouldn't be hard, but…there is one problem." Goombario took his brown foot and pointed at a panel with an odd shape hole in it. "In order to unlock the controls, we need a special kind of key."

"That's just perfect!" Bombette pouted. "Where are we going to get something like that?"

Mario examined the keyhole and an idea came into mind. He dug in his pocket and pulled out the weird metal piercing from Gruggu. Goombario noticed and he gawked stupidly at it. "Mario! I…I think that's it! Where did you get that?" he wondered.

"Let's just say Groggu like keeping his things in the strangest places," Mario smirked.

Without hesitating, he jammed the object in, surprised that it fit, and turned it. The screen started to change and countless codes swarmed the picture. "We're in!" the Goomba announced.

Punching some more buttons and twisting the knobs, the screen read, 'diactivated' and like that, the bars receded into the floor one by one in the room. Every Toad, Koopa, and Bob-omb ran out of their prison and swarmed Mario and party, eternally grateful for the rescue.

"Thank you so much!" said a young orange Toadette.

"You guys are awesome!" a green Bob-omb winked.

"But," a Koopa muttered, glancing around in confusion, "how did we get here?"

"We'll explain later, but right now, we need to get to the others in the fortress and get everyone back home," Mario instructed.

And so, with their red clad hero and friends leading the group of citizens to safety, it seemed fight for the world might not seem so hopeless for them.

___

Unknowing to Mario and gang, a dark shadow had watched the entire event and his excitement and plotting could barely be contained. In his black jumpsuit and mask, Mr. L crept away from a window and jumped up to the tower's roof to rest as he chortled.

"My, my. Things are definitely getting more interesting. So those metal freaks are after some sort of power that could help them take over the world, hmm?" He cracked a devious grin. "And it looks like Mr. Jumps-all-the-Time is actually losing his backbone for once." Mr. L folded his arms. "Normally, I would have gone for that plumber's head right when I got the chance, but how can I possibly pass up this opportunity for great power? I might as well throw my hat in the ring; it could be fun. And the thought of crushing him with a power that he can't stomach to get just gives me that fuzzy feeling inside. This plan is perfect." The sinister alter-ego stared up into the clouds, his grey eyes shining ominously. "Mario, we _will_ meet each other and when you do, you'll have no idea how to face me and you'll fall to your knees. Enjoy your victory for now. It won't last long. L-ater, my mustached foe."

Mr. L took a running start and leapt from the roof, swiftly headed for the trees below for his landing. Where he will go next, only he would know, but the race for the ancient treasure was on.

___

**With the first Mecha, Groggu, defeated, Koopa Bros. Fortress and everyone trapped inside have been freed and they're all ready to go back and rebuild their lives. The Smithy Gang's plan and their leader, Metalai (sounds like Nicolai) have been revealed by the mysterious man named Aero, but will Mario force himself to follow Aero's mission to find the three Artifacts at the cost at the holders' lives? And with Mr. L also searching for the ancient power, what else will our hero have to deal with? **

**Next time…**

**???: **We didn't stand a chance to save your kingdom and I'm sure my land isn't faring well either.

***???*: **Don't worry. I know we'll get through this and stomp the lot of them!

**???: **I've faced these invaders before. If I had known sooner who they were, we might have been better prepared.

***???*: **If we could only think of some way to let the boys know that we're fine and where they can find us.

**???: **Oh, Mario. Please give me the strength to make it back home to you…

**Episode 5: **_**A Change in Plans**_

**___**

**(A/N) **I tried to make fun of Goombario and his **Tattle** ability from **Paper** **Mario** near the beginning and all of Mario's partners' attacks come straight from the game. The **Underwhere** is the hell version of the seventh level from **Super Paper Mario**. I hope the fighting scene was alright. Sorry to the Mario fans as my OC bashed on him for what makes him a hero, but its all part of the plot. Some long awaited characters will appear in the next two chapters.


	5. A Change in Plans

It's been over two months since I last updated. Sorry!!! It's amazing how much you can get done while on break. If I get started on the next chapter now, I might have something sooner next time. I posted some character profiles in my Deviant account (though not many), so you can check those out if you want. Look in my author profile. Anyway, most of this chapter is flashback. Enjoy!!!

**___**

**Mario and friends had defeated the infamous frog Mecha, Groggu, and freed all the stolen Essences from the people's souls. During that time, they met a mysterious stranger named Aero, warning Mario not to get in his way to find Essences. Apparently, a power rests inside the souls of certain individuals, and it must be kept away from the Smithy Gang's grasps, even if it should cost those people their lives. And, it seems Aero and the Smithy Gang isn't the only ones after this power as Mr. L had learned of its existence and decided to search for it to defeat Mario. With the situation getting more complicated and desperate, what will be the next move for our heroes and their enemies? **

___

Chapter 5: A Change in Plans

It was slowly creeping toward the evening as the sun was meeting the horizon, painting the sky blue with many colors of orange and red, and the clouds were turning into a vivid light purple in the shadows of the dust lighting. Out in a distant sea, a boat was voyaging on the dark cerulean water as the sun was sinking further below the sky. The boat was rather large, larger and more lavishing than an average shipping boat. On the side of the vessel, it was named the S.S Toadstool. On the deck, a number of Toads and Koopas, as well as foreign citizens such as Goomba-like Chibibos and Koopa-like Nokobons, were resting and patrolling the area. Many were actual citizens, but a number were guards dressed in white clothing and silver armor, wielding spears, swords, and bows on their person. One Toad soldier made his way to the upper deck, and at the bow, two women stood at the railing. The soldier gracefully walked before the women and kneeled down with his arm across his chest.

"Your highness, all personnel and refugees have been accounted for, and the ship is on course to the south, southwest," he reported.

The two women spun around in their elegant pink and yellow gowns. They were no other than the Mushroom and Flower sovereigns, Princess Peach Toadstool and Princess Daisy Flora. Peach wore her usual pink gown, the fabric with light pink lace attachments flowing down to her red heels. Her golden hair and blue jewelry glowed in an even greater brilliance by the sunlight. Daisy also competed in beauty with a similar yellow dress with a fancy designed fabric draped over it, down to her orange strapped heels. Her skin was darker for living in the desert regions and her auburn hair was shorter yet still thick. Instead of blue jewelry, she wore flower ornaments as her brooch and earrings.

Daisy nodded to the soldier. "Thank for your report. You may return to your post." With that, the soldier stood up slowly and bowed once more before leaving the princesses to their business. Peach looked back at the sunset tranquilly, but one could see the sadness in her eyes as they were dull and not as lovingly blue and cheerful like always.

"Hey," said a soft voice snapping the princess from her trance. She looked at Daisy as the flower princess tilted her head with her arm resting on the railing. "What's wrong, Peach? You've been kind of out of it lately."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've just…been thinking for a while. You know, about everything that happened so far," she replied.

"Yeah," Daisy agreed as she hung head with the same sadness taking over her.

___

_They both reflected on the events that happened about a week ago. Princess Peach had just arrived in the Sarasaland Kingdom with her soldiers after a day's trip on her personal ship, docking near the Muda Port, and Princess Daisy, along with her council, were there to greet them. _

_Sarasaland was split into four territories. Biramuto was the largest province in the desert region and where the royal castle stood. Muda lay in the western coast of the kingdom with many swamp areas and served as a large harbor for fishing and agriculture. Chai was the mountainous region for forestry and mining. Last was Easton, an island in the southwest waters restricted to the public to make it a national reserve for the strange wildlife there._

_The princess and her soldiers were brought to the Biramuto capital, Kairuz, via a Sky Pop plane. During their flight, it was noticed that the land was unusually dark and eerie. Looking out the window, everyone could see an enormous gaping hole shattered in the sky with the clouds refusing to enter the strange phenomenon. _

_Aside from it, they soon arrived to the capital. The city was built on top of an oasis region, providing moderate vegetation and cooler temperatures. Kairuz was a paradise in the desert sands of Biramuto, and Flora Castle was its gem. Peach and her soldiers were honored guests of Flora Castle. They had a wonderful feast that night, but it was hardly a relaxing dinner as councilmen, generals, and high ranked retainers all attended a mandatory meeting to discuss the battle at hand. In a large conference room on the east wing of the castle, Daisy and Peach took their seats at opposite ends of the round table with their council surrounding them._

_A red shelled Nokobon general stood up from his seat and began the meeting. "Approximately 62 hours ago, an unsuspected attack was launched onto Chai. While very unpopulated, nearly half of the towns and cities have fallen into enemy hands. Shortly after, the inlands of Muda were taken over but only a small fraction, leaving the coast still under our control. Luckily, the enemy forces have ignored Easton Island and it remains untouched. Biramuto and the palace serve as our last defense and the invaders are slowly advancing their way here now." _

"_Have any other surveys noticed a pattern in these attacks that may help us predict their next move?" a white robed Toad retainer wondered._

"_It seems this threat is only attacking populated territories as of now, which might explain why Easton hasn't been touched even when it is the easiest place to conquer and set up a base," the red Nokobon general pointed out. "Why do you suppose that is? _

"_Hmph! I say they're just flaunting their power on the major cities just to intimidate the four provinces," a green suited Chibibo replied._

"_But there have been reports that the general public is being targeted specifically," a yellow spotted Toad councilman argued._

"_What sort of reports do you mean?" the Chibibo asked._

"_They're very vague, but what they do have in common is that the enemy attacks with a strange weapon, emitting a powerful light if you would call it that, and afterwards, those caught in the blast simply collapse and can't be awakened. Hospitals and inns are overflowing with casualties in these similar coma-like states and in some cases where they were died in their beds. One report describes that after an attack, strange glowing objects of some sort appear in the area which the enemy does not hesitate to collect and take the victims captive as well." The Toad answered._

"_That's the most ridiculous load of garbage I've ever heard!" the Chibibo shouted._

"_These reports came straight from our soldiers who barely escaped with their lives. I will not doubt what they had seen and encountered!" the Nokobon general defended._

"_Whatever is the truth or not, our enemy has hostages," said a blue Bob-omb general to intervene the arguing parties. "They must be meaning to force us to their demands."_

"_If they truly wanted hostages to force our hand, they would have attempted to capture members of the monarchy or anyone with high authority within the four provinces." the robed Chibibo disagreed._

"_My good sir! You mean to say that the lives of the people are frivolous compared to your government officials?!" the Bob-omb sneered at the Chibibo. _

"_That doesn't matter now!" a voice overpowered the spatting group. Daisy shot up from her sit and slammed her palms on the table while staring at everyone with piercing eyes. "This is getting us nowhere. Many cities and their people have been taken or confined to this weird condition. And it's obvious that they plan to target the capitol. We have no choice but to form an attack and force them to cure everyone. The Mushroom Kingdom has agreed to lend their military forces. Now, we're all going to sit here and figure out how we're going to beat these guys!"_

_A silence filled the room with both sides, restraining themselves from further insults to thinking of a strategy. _

"_We could possibly form a blockade around the city walls and a surprise attack in the desert outskirts of Kairuz," a voice suggested._

_All the heads turned as two individuals were standing in the doorway of the conference room. They were two young human women who barely looked out of their twenties. The black, short haired female was clothed in shades of blue and black garments with blue plates lined with gold resting on her shoulders and torso, and a matching cape hung on the back. Her expression was stern, and at one glance, you could mistake her for a man. The other brown, long haired girl was the same way but in red, pink, and gold colors. She looked more attractive and friendlier. _

"_Hey Ebony and Scarlet," Daisy spoke with a wide smile._

"_Who are these two? They are interrupting important business," the Chibibo glared at the knights._

"_Calm down," Daisy insisted as she waved with her hand. "These are my personal knights, Ebony and Scarlet." _

"_How did you get in here? We didn't even hear you come in," the Chibibo persistently questioned the visitors. _

"_Well, with you guys biting each other's heads off so loudly, an entire stampede of Chomps could have charged in and you wouldn't have notice," Ebony mocked the robed Chibibo with a sharp tongue with Scarlet giggling politely._

"_Well then, please leave. This is a _private_ military conference."_

"_Don't worry about it. Ebony is the captain of the knights of our army and Scarlet is her vice captain. They actually helped the soldiers who escaped to provide the information we just talked about. They have every right to be here," Daisy defended them. _

"_Thank you, your highness," said Scarlet as she slightly bowed._

_Both knights stood poised on opposite sides the princess since there were no seats left._

"_So, what were you saying before about a plan of attack?" asked the Bob-omb general with intrigue. _

"_Based on my experiences, I think the basic tactic is to organize a surprise attack starting with a Chikako minefield hidden in the outer desert regions if they decide to attack on foot in the first wave. Our second wave could be our standard Nokobon and Chibibo soldiers to pick off any survivors that make it out of the mine field. If they still push through and could quite possibly attack from the air, the Gao guardians and Gira bullet cannons stationed on the walls of Kairus will shoot them down as they approach, giving our Bunbun air strike forces time to deploy in the Sky Pop jets for an aerial assault," Ebony explained. _

"_I heard of that strategy before. It was a counterstrike that won the Mudarian Wars 50 years ago for its tight formations, preparations against any kind of attack, and the fire power," the impressed Nokobon general smiled, but it quickly turned into concern. "But it's a risky move. If we don't execute it properly, we could possibly lose a great deal of resources and soldiers." _

"_We are only offering suggestions," said Scarlet. "It will be the council that makes the decisions." Then her face changed into concern. "But, I would also like to add that a decision must be made quickly because the enemy has drawn closer these past few hours."_

"_What?!" the Bob-omb general gasped._

"_Twelve hours ago, a reconnaissance was sent to determine when the terrorist would arrive to the capitol, and astonishingly, they are due to arrive in a mere four hours."_

"_Impossible!" the Chibibo councilman shouted as he jumped on the table. "An entire legion can't coordinate to move that quickly! It's not earthly possible!"_

"_And you're dead on with that, sir," Ebony admitted and everyone was confused. "We managed to get a few photos taken by the recon, and as you can see, these invaders are _not_ from this world." _

_Scarlet took the photos out of her shoulder plating and softly tossed them on the round table. Everyone leaned over to see, and their expressions turned pale by the images of monsters hurtling out of a giant flying fortress from the dimensional hole. Peach took her turn to see the photos, but her reaction was more shocked and horrified than the others._

"_I can't believe this," the Toad retainer whispered. _

"_So, we're pretty much dealing with another group of aliens?! Ah, man. I could barely get over the last time that happened," Daisy said nervously with chills going down her body by simply thinking of the experience. "Please tell me these aren't the same guys!"_

"_I don't think so, princess," Ebony figured, "but we are still dealing with extraterrestrial beings and they're coming for Kairuz now."_

"_Given the situation and the evidence of these images, these invaders intend to strike with incredible force. We may have to initiate the Mudarian Counterstrike no matter the risks. Do we have your permission, your highness?" the Bob-omb general asked._

"_Yes, I will allow it," she answered._

"_Good. Rally the soldiers, prepare the Sky Pop jets, the Gira cannons, and Chikako mines, and hasten the evacuation; Get it all done!" the general ordered._

"_Yes sir!" everyone replied._

_All the councilmen, retainers, and generals left the room to begin preparations for the battle at hand. Daisy was about to follow her two knights when she noticed Peach was still sitting in her chair staring at the photos. _

"_What's wrong, Peach? I know it's weird to look at but I'm sure you've seen worst."Daisy smiled, trying to lighten the mood. _

"_It's not that," Peach started in a quiet voice. "These aliens in the photos…I've seen something like them before."_

"_What?! Are you serious?!" Daisy yelled, quickly put her hands to her mouth. She closed the door behind her and walked over to Peach in disbelief. She didn't notice that the door cracked slightly._

"_Yes, I'm sure of it, and they're more than just aliens, they're machines."_

"_Machines? They sure don't look like it." Daisy questioned. "Well, who are these freaks anyway?"_

"_They are a legion of machine monsters from another dimension who call themselves the Smithy Gang. Years ago, they attacked different parts the world and attempted to conquer us with their weapons and steal our power to wish and dream. Mario, our friends, even Bowser and I confronted their leader, Smithy, and destroyed him and his factory. I don't understand how they're still operating…unless…"Peach stared off into space for a moment._

"_Unless what?" Daisy asked to get her attention again._

"_Unless, we didn't completely destroy every trace of them. It could be that's what happened," Peach reckoned. "If these terrorist are truly the Smithy Gang reborn, then this attack might get really ugly, Daisy," she warned her. _

"_Well, whoever they are, we're not going down without a fight!" Daisy declared with her fists up. "We'll smack this robot creeps back where they came from!"_

_While a little surprised at first by Daisy's confidence, Peach faintly smiled at her best friend. "Yes, but I'll need to inform the generals about this. I wish I didn't hesitate before." _

_Peach stood up from her chair and followed Daisy to the door. When she opened the door, Daisy gasped as her first knight captain stood over her right in her face. "Ebony!" Daisy sighed, relieved, but annoyed at the same time. "Ooh, don't scare me like that!"_

_Ebony, however, didn't seem amused by the scene but rather suspicious towards the flower princess. "Your majesties, what were you doing just…" She was cut off by the blaring noise of bells and alarms ringing in their ears. _

"_What is that sound?!" Peach tried to yell over it. _

"_Oh no," Daisy muttered. "That's the castle alarm! It only goes off when the castle is under attack!"_

"_Is it the enemy? But I thought you said we had a few hours to prepare," Peach questioned the knight._

"_It looks like the recon was off a bit!" Ebony gritted her teeth. "Come with me!" _

_She took the princesses' hands and quickly ran down the corridor with them. Nearly every attendant of the castle was panicking. The soldiers and knights zoomed past everyone with great speed only trying to reach their posts for battle. Peach glanced out the zipping windows to find the sky was much darker and thunderous. An enormous shadow could be seen looming toward the castle, but the clouds were skewing the image. Ebony led them to the throne room where Scarlet and a few of their soldiers and retainers were waiting. _

"_Where are you taking us?" Peach asked._

"_It is procedure," Scarlet began. "We must ensure your majesties' safeties. You must be taken out of the castle and to the refuge point near the southern islands of Easton."_

"_We just can't leave the castle or the capitol! I'm no coward!" Daisy argued pulling her hand from Ebony. "If we leave now without supporting the attack, Kairuz will fall!"_

"_Please be reasonable, your highness," Ebony pled. "Let your generals worry about issuing the counterattack, but the enemy is approaching too quickly for us to be wavering! Our priority as your personal knights and retainers is to ensure the royal families' safeties."_

_Daisy was still against it in her mind. Peach put her gloved hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "I know it's hard, Daisy, but they're right. If Sarasaland lost you, there would be no one to lead the survivors afterwards." Daisy looked back with her expression softening. Lowering her head slightly, she nodded to everyone. _

_Scarlet walked over to a marble statue of a Star deity and pushed one of its etched eyes. Suddenly, the statue moved and the wall behind the drapes split and shifted outwards, revealing a secret passage. "This corridor will lead us to the castle's airstrip on the east side. The Sky Pop will transport everyone out of the city and then all of you will go to the Muda Port and take Princess Peach's vessel." she explained. _

_Suddenly, a sound was coming from Ebony's cape clasp. "What is it?" she spoke into the clasp like a microphone._

"_Captain! Incoming flying craft from the northwest!" the voice announced._

"_Damn it! They're here already?! Have all the knights take their positions immediately. I'm coming to the assist the frontlines," she instructed._

"_Captain?!" Scarlet said in shock._

"_Scarlet, lead the party to the refuge point safely. I will contact you at the earliest convenience."_

"_But Captain…"_

"_Don't argue, Scarlet. We must perform our duties no matter what," she reminded her, "…and don't worry. We'll be fine."_

"_Y, yes ma'am," Scarlet saluted, but she was still felt uneasy._

_Ebony saluted to the party then ran out of the room to join the battle. Scarlet slowly brought down her arm, clenching her fist by her side._

"_Scarlet?" Peach spoke._

_The female knight turned to the party stern and poised. "You heard her. We must leave immediately. I'll lead while the soldiers protect you in the front and the back."_

_Scarlet headed toward the dark passage and signal everyone to follow her._

"_Are you sure you're alright?" Peach asked soothingly._

"_I'm fine," she responded without looking at her._

_To not antagonize her, Peach left it alone, and she and the others followed the knight through the passage. The walls and drapes closed quickly behind them._

_____

_The corridor was dusty, and the stench of mold made the princesses wince. A single lantern hung on the wall. Scarlet took it to act as their light source. _

"_Now, everyone hold on to the person's shoulder in front of you and don't let go," she ordered. _

_Everyone obeyed and slowly began to walk down the stairs. The mood was quiet until the walls shook, nearly causing everyone to fall over. _

"_Keep your balance. Don't let the noises distract you," Scarlet advised. _

_They picked themselves and continued on. The tremors were gradually becoming frequent so much that they had to lean on the wall to not fall again. Obviously, Daisy started to worry. Something like this had only happened to her once before. She gripped Peach's shoulder a little tighter. Peach didn't say anything even thought the grip was pretty strong. _

_After a few minutes of walking, a light was at the end of the tunnel. A rectangular outline of light was glowing. It was most likely a door of some kind. Amore set down the lantern, leaned on the stone wall, and pushed with all her strength. A few soldiers came up to assist her. They all pushed together but the wall only moved a few inches. Daisy walked up with the others, and they all gave it one final shove. The stone door was pushed all the way out, revealing the outside gardens of the castle. _

_They stepped out of the passage to realize the wind was blowing furiously. The sky was as dark as Peach saw earlier but it was filled with many Sky Pop jets and airborne fire launching toward the incoming craft. The vortex in the clouds seemed to glow as the flying fortress was making its way toward Flora Castle. None of the ammunition was penetrating the craft's hull and they had to cease fire. _

"_Stop gawking! Our transportation is just down the runway!" shouted Scarlet. _

_Down the castle wall on the stretch of the airstrip, the Flora Sky Pop jet which brought Peach and her soldiers to Sarasaland was ready to take off. A random Bunbun pilot opened the door and dropped a stepping ladder. Scarlet motioned the princesses and retainers to climb aboard before herself. Once everyone was aboard, the pilot restarted the engines. _

_Up above with the flying fortress, a hatch opened from the underside, and a glow began to illuminate over the city._

"_Get us out of here!" Scarlet ordered the pilot. Nodding his head, the Bunbun moving the steering wheel and the Sky Pop began to move forward, gaining speed down the runway. _

_The light coming from the craft's hatch grew brighter and the city cannons fired again to try and stop, however, their weapons were no use to shoot it down. The Sky Pop plane lifted off the ground and soared out of Kairuz. At that moment, the enemy fortress revealed its own weapon. Everyone on the plane stared out their windows in terror as sparks gathered around the weapon, and in a split second, a laser fired down and a light swept across the city buildings. The blast nearly hit the plan in the radius but the escaped just in time. Daisy turned her head in grief and shame as she cried in Peach's arms. Scarlet and all the passengers hung their heads as well._

_One retainer looked up once more out his window and yelled, "Everyone, look outside!" _

_All the passengers jerked their heads and gazed at the spectacle above the city. Hundreds of lights that looked like stars floated into the sky toward the fortress. And it appeared as if hundreds of shadows were released to catch those lights. It was last thing they witnessed before they were beyond the city walls heading for Muda. _

___

Their long remembrance came to a finish, and they noticed the sky went into a deep, blue darkness and a few stars managed to light up. The princesses' sadness was more in depth than before.

Daisy folded her arms and leaned in the railing of the bow. "I wonder how Sarasaland is doing now," she started. "What are those awful monsters doing with everyone? I feel like a coward, abandoning my people and my kingdom. I just can't help but hate myself!" She slammed her hands on the railing, shaking them uncontrollably.

Peach was surprised at her best friend's behavior. For as long as she had known Daisy, she had always had a go-lucky, strong, and confident attitude and would stand up to fiends who were bigger than her. In a way, it made Peach envious.

She lifted her head and stared off into the distance. "It's not your fault," she finally spoke. Daisy's head was still lowered but Peach knew she was listening.

"I know how you feel. The idea of being useless to protected your people when you can't even protect yourself. When you are willing to put your life on the line for others, they refuse to let you do it because of your status." Peach lifted he hands and stared into her palms. "Every day, I look at my hands, and I realize how dainty and frail they are as if they haven't done a decent moment of work. I truly believe that there are people who are more important and efficient than I am to make a difference."

"Peach…" Daisy looked at her sympathetically.

"That's why I want to do more if possible. Even if it is little things, it would still be more than nothing. I came to help you not only because I had to, but I wanted to do it though Toadsworth and my retainers objected it. I've gathered up my courage for this revolution for a long time now because of people like them."

"Oh, you mean the boys," Daisy realized as she grinned.

Peach blushed lightly at the thought of her plumber heroes. It was true. Every since Peach was first saved by Mario and Luigi, their determination, bravery, and strength had rubbed off on her. Whenever she was in trouble, she would try to help them anyway she could rather than just waiting to be rescued. In a way, she wanted to be more like Mario and be able to protect everyone she loved, including him.

"We may have needed to run this time, but that doesn't mean we give up. I don't know what the Smithy Gang is up to this time, but we won't let them continue on with their conquest." Peach declared.

"Now I can get down with that." Daisy smirked as if she were ready to battle.

"But, it would still be nice if we had some help. I need to inform Toadsworth, Mario and Luigi about this. They may very well have been attacked in the Mushroom Kingdom during my absence."

"We could use the radio to send out a signal to Toad Town's tower at the port."

"That won't work," said a voice. From right behind them, Scarlet, Princess Daisy's personal knight, walked up to them with her ruby cape blowing in the sea breeze. "There has been no signal coming from the Mushroom Kingdom capitol for two days now. Even if it wasn't, it would be dangerous to send out a signal in fear that the enemy could track it down."

"Oh no…What if something happened while I was gone?!" Peach feared. "This is terrible."

"I can't believe this! So we have no way to contact the guys or anyone?!" Daisy yelled in discourage as she stomped her foot.

"Not necessarily." Scarlet whistled for someone to come out. A small Lakitu with a red pilot cap and a big brown bag on his back flew from his hiding spot and between the three women. "This is Lakino, the castle's private mail deliverer. Whenever there is important mail or messages that need to be delivered in shorter times than the public service can, we come to him. It was amazing luck he had just delivered our letters to Muda about our arrival when I found him."

"It's an honor, your majesties!" the young Lakitu smiled, taking off his cap while bowing his head.

"This is great!" Daisy cheered. "How'd you know to bring him?"

"If there is anything I've learned from my captain, it is to always be prepared," she praised though with a hint of sorrow.

"Splendid!" Peach kneeled down to the young Lakitu. "Can you take a message to give to my steward, Toadsworth, at Toadstool Castle?"

Lakino quickly took out a pen and paper as if from nowhere. For the next few minutes, the young Lakitu jotted down every detail the Princess spoke. When she finished, Lakino folded and put the letter in an envelope and into his bag.

"Everything is all set! I'm ready to fly!"

"Now remember. Get that message to Mario, Luigi, and Toadsworth as quickly as you can," Peach ordered.

"Yes, your highness. I'll be back before you know it!" Lakino adjusted his helmet and hovered above the boat high in the sky. His cloud zoomed down the horizon leaving a white tail behind him.

"Thank you for your help, Scarlet. I hope they'll get the message soon."

"It is my duty, Princess Peach. If it will help to save our countries…and our men, I will gladly do so." Again, Peach saw that hint of depression and spacing out coming from the red knight.

"Scarlet? What's the matter?"

"What?" she reacted. "No. It's nothing. I'm the one that should be worrying about you. I'm just the subordinate here to protect you."

"That's ridiculous!" The flower princess blurted. "Look, Scarlet. I value all of the people of Sarasaland including our soldiers and knights. I want to protect you and everyone else here as much as you do. I don't think myself higher than anyone. I want you to remember that, and _when_ we find Ebony, you tell her that, too."

Scarlet realized her princess didn't speak as if her captain was dead, giving her a spark of compassion. "Yes, your highness," she obeyed.

She averted her eyes for a moment than glanced at Princess Peach. "The ones you are calling for help, Mario and Luigi is it, are they very strong?"

"Why ask these questions all of the sudden?" Peach wondered.

"Captain Ebony …I…I'm worried that she may be hurt. I knew my orders, but I still wanted to go back and help her. I feel useless that I couldn't be of use to her. I think more of her as my sister than anything else. Even if she may seem harsh and more passionate than I am, I admire her pride and cunning. I want to go back…to save her. I want to save Master Ebony." Scarlet began to tear and chuckle to herself. "I must sound selfish. Forgive me."

"No. Not at all," Peach replied with a loving smile. "You've just shown that you want to be someone that you care for. I understand completely." The princess moved her hands to her chest as her heart began to flutter. "Mario and Luigi are some of the strongest people we have ever been fortunate to have in our lives. I know they will be able to help us save everyone."

The Sarasaland knight nodded and trusted the princess's words. "So I am guessing that they are two knights which you love?"

"W, wh, what??!! N, no! It's not like that!" Peach panicked as she lightly blushed. "I mean…no, they are wonderful gentlemen, and kind, and funny. They're perfectly likable…but that's all it is! We're friends! Just really…good…friends."

"You know you're not fooling anyone here, Peach," Daisy laughed at her.

Scarletsimply smiled at the rambling Mushroom Princess and looked up toward the pale, white moon which had just climb up to the night stars. Hopefully their new plan would set in motion soon.

___

The next day back into the Mushroom Kingdom territory, the damaged Toad Town Square was no longer dead and deserted as the relieved folks from Koopa Bros. Fortress were returning to their homes, at least what may be left of them, and started to rebuild. Every Toad and Toadette, carpenter and construction worker who was handy offered their help for anyone who needed it. Even some of the Koopas and Bob-ombs from the neighboring village came to assist them. It would take some time to repair their city, but the past day proved they had the endurance to make it happen.

Toadstool Castle was getting its attention as well as all the workers and soldiers were diligently fitted the windows, replacing white bricks and tending the gardens with the gracious donation of supplies given to them. Nurses were tending to the injured and food was rationed in case of other mishaps. In the grand foyer, Mario had helped the old steward down the stairs to discuss business.

"So, your friends are going to defend the two towns during your absence?" Toadsworth asked.

"Yeah. They're pretty tough and experienced. I'm sure they can handle any more trouble that might happen, even if it were Bowser, wherever he may be right now," Mario answered.

"True. They did help you defeat those ruffians who attacked us. I won't doubt their capabilities." He accepted. "But, going back to our situation, I can't believe it was the Smithy Gang who overwhelmed us. I know of the tale, and how even the princess was forced to challenge those fiends alongside you, which I wouldn't approve at all," he narrowed his eyes at the embarrassed plumber who scratched his head. "But in any case, I find it intriguing that they are after a power which may rest in the average person who may be completely unaware of it, but the sacrifice is appalling."

"I agree, and it makes me think about that strange person who was also trying to take the Essences in the fortress." Mario crossed his arm as he was thinking. "I don't think he's the bad guy here, just desperate and confused. But if we do meet again, I hope we won't have to fight, and he can tell me more about their leader, Metalai, and this weapon." Mario turned to Toadsworth with something else in his mind. "Which reminds me, is there any news of my brother?"

Toadsworth simply shook his head to answer. "To no avail I'm afraid. He wasn't among the captured citizens in Koopa Bros. Fortress, and I sent soldiers to investigate Bandit's Way but still no sign of him."

Mario sighed with more grief in his heart.

"They did find these two badly injured thugs near the river," Toadsworth continued, "but what is interesting is they claimed that a mustached man in green clothing and hat was the one who attacked them."

"A man in green?" Mario repeated. "That definitely sounds like Luigi, but even if they were thugs, he would never have been so…vicious to just defend himself. But, more importantly, I remember he was shot with that machine woman's laser and lost his Essence to them. If what Groggu said to me was true, then Luigi shouldn't be moving at all," he explained. "And…if we don't find his Essence soon…he will die."

"It may very well not be him, Master Mario," the steward quickly discredited it, trying to calm Mario's nerves. "And if it was, it wouldn't explain why he would run off like that and not come back home to us."

"Nothing makes sense anymore, but the bottom line is Luigi is still missing!"

"Calm down, Master Mario. I'm sure that he is fine. We will find him, but we must also worry about her highness and Princess Daisy."

"You're right," Mario relaxed, "and there's no doubt it was the Smithy Gang who attacked Sarasaland. If we only had some idea of where the princess and Daisy are, then all I'll need to do is hop on the next boat outta here and find them."

"I'm afraid it is not that simple anymore," Toadsworth admitted. "Upon the destruction of the city, the Toad Town Harbor was severely wrecked. We won't be able to dock or depart any ships until it is repaired."

"That's just perfect!" the red plumber complained. "Then what am I supposed to do now?"

Suddenly, a whistling sound was hanging in the air. Mario and Toadsworth stopped to listen for where it was coming from. It gradually became louder until they heard someone screaming as he or she crashed through the foyer window and skidded right in front of the plumber. It was a dizzy, young Lakitu wearing a red helmet and brown bag.

"Aww, come on!" a voice screamed in the background outside the castle. "I just fitted that window!!"

The Lakitu regained consciousness as Mario squatted to get a better look at him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Well I'll be," Toadsworth started, "It's a special, high speed Lakitu mail carrier. They are easy to recognize with their red headgear."

Mario helped the little Lakitu up on his cloud.

"Sorry about that," the Lakitu apologized. "The wind shifted and tossed me for a wild loop." He looked up at the plumber then the old Toad with surprise. "Hey, are you Mr. Mario and Mr. Toadworth?"

"That would be us," Toadsworth answered.

"Thank goodness! I've been flying non-stop to reach the Mushroom Kingdom capital. Almost didn't notice the castle with the big mess and all. Anyway, my name is Lakino, and I have a letter for you, Mr. Mario" He searched through his bag and pulled out a light yellow colored envelope. Professionally, he headed it to Mario. Curious of whom it might be, Mario examined it and tore the seal off carefully. He skimmed through the words then gasped when he saw the signature.

"I can't believe it…" he whispered.

"What is it Master Mario?" Toadsworth wondered.

"It's a letter from Princess Peach and Princess Daisy!"

___

**Things are definitely looking up for Mario. Peach and Daisy survived their escape from Sarasaland and they are heading to safe ground while they wait for help to arrive. However, they are still unaware of Luigi's own predicament and Mr. L is not too far off to make his debut. And what of Bowser who had also disappeared a few days ago. With a timely letter informing the worried plumber, how will Mario proceed to tackle his foes and save the fair princesses? **

**Next time…**

**Mario: **I have to get to the next town quick before I miss my chance to get to Sarasaland. Hey, I don't remember the swamps and marshes being this thick before. I don't think my boots can handle muck like this!

**???: **Young Mario, we meet once more. The waterways have told me you would arrive here today in our pond.

**Mario: **Is that you, old frog? Uh oh, looks like they're causing more trouble here, and has anyone else noticed these weird weather patterns, too?

***???*: **Nah, that's just me!We can chat later, pal, butwhen the bad dudes bring on the thunder, I like to strike like lightning and dish out the storm!

**Episode 6: **_**The Not So Frog Prince**_

___

**A/N:**

-There are a lot of references from **Super Mario Land **so I won't bother listing them all. (Look in Mariowiki.)

-Daisy has been interpreted as being unusally strong from **Mario Party 3**.

-The secret passage thing may seem repetitive, but castles do have them you know.

-My two OCs, **Ebony** and **Scarlet**, are supposed to be like personal protectors to Princess Daisy as Mario and Luigi are to Princess Peach.

-During many of the Mario RPGs and other games, Peach has tried to help Mario during his adventures by giving him clues **(Paper Mario, Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door)**, sending items and power-ups **(Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64)**, or actually fighting alongside him **(Super Mario RPG, Super Paper Mario)**. That's why she is trying so hard to be helpful in this battle.

**-Lakitus** from the **Paper Mario** series tend to have names beginning with the prefix Laki- then something else.

Stay tuned. You can probably guess who's coming up next. I'm so excited with the next two chapters because of some long anticipated favorites and their profile designs. ^-^.

___


	6. The Not So Frog Prince

Oh…my…god. It's been like **FOREVER** since I updated. School is extremely distracting, but now it's time for summer break! YayZ!! I'll say it again: It's amazing how much I can get done on break. Hopefully during the summer, I can pump more chapters out. And I'll be working on another story, so keep an eye out for that.

So…without further ado……**ENJOY!!!**

**____**

**With great fortune, Princess Peach and Princess Daisy were alive and well, sailing away from the Sarasaland Kingdom after an intense ambush. After recalling their experiences and accepting help from a Sarasaland knight named Scarlet, they sent word to Mario and Toadsworth of their situation via a Lakitu messenger. However, the red clad plumber had his own troubles to deal with like reaching Sarasaland with the Toad Town Harbor and their boats in disrepair. How will Mario find a way to reach the missing princesses and what new developments await?**

**____**

Chapter 6: The Not So Frog Prince

The smell of sulfur and ash could sometimes be suffocating for a person's lungs who wasn't used to it. The heat of magma and running lava was unbearable if one didn't have thick skin or hide or anything that would be protective. The forests were dry, dead, and haunted, and a speck of green would be laughable to think would survive in the harsh lands. The conditions of the north eastern regions of Darkland were naturally inhabitable for those who did not serve the Koopa Empire within the walls of King Bowser Koopa's Castle.

On the highest peak of a mountain, covered in sharp, jagged cliffs and bramble, surrounded by a lake of sweltering lava, the dark castle of black and gray bricks stood grand and ominous as lightning struck close to the towers. The only way to reach the foreboding lair was across a single stone bridge guarded by several Koopatrols all the way to the giant gates. Inside, the dank hallways were enormous with large armory on each side. Statues and paintings of the previous kings filled the main foyer, staring proudly and intimidating into the eyes of visitors that would walk toward the chambers of the royal family. The soldiers were stationed at their posts as usual, but they seemed worn and exhausted. Magikoopas of different ranks and specialties scrambled through the medical and weapons rooms to heal and strengthen the weary Koopas who were bedridden and the equipment that was broken or damaged.

Two particular Magikoopas ignored the duties of the loyal followers and walked into the throne room of their magnificent king. Kamek and Kammy Koopa were both quite old, unlike the latter who had at least twenty more years under her scales. They walked gracefully toward Bowser who was being attended to by one of his personal doctors as he sat on his throne. His arm was bruised and cut, but the scales of a sovereign Koopa were unique and strong and could withstand many hazardous injuries. It was one of the many assets he had when he faced off with his enemies and would more likely survive those encounters. When he saw his two advisors approach him, he shooed the doctor away after he was finished. Kamek and Kammy bowed to their king and crossed their scepters over their hearts to greet him properly.

"You called us, your Terribleness?" Kamek began.

"Yes," Bowser answered. "What is the status of the Koopa Army's recovery?"

"Well, my great king, there were many casualties during our escape but less than expected. The Magikoopas have been conjuring healing spells none stop, and the survivors are recuperating nicely. Many of our Bob-omb and Bullet Bill resources were wasted during the operation, but rest assured, the recent development of our enhanced gunpowder will reduce the cost of materials to produce more ammunition so we can…"

"Kamek," Bowser interrupted him, sounding annoyed as he scratched the arm rest, "Will you stop wasting my time with your sucking up and tell me who was responsible for ruining our attack and taking my soldiers?!"

The Koopa King's roar shook the room and nearly caused the two old Magikoopas to fall over on their aching backs. Kamek hesitated on what to say next to the angered king as he didn't know what had been happening. Noticing this, Kammy stepped forward.

"As you and I saw before we retreated, a strange warship attacked Toad Town two days ago with a foreign weapon of a strange light. It seemed to have caused a sort of "life force," if I may call it that, to be extracted from their bodies, and then all the townspeople, including a fraction of our soldiers, collapsed afterwards. We have sent our spies to gather more information on these rogues, and we learned all those who were succumbed to that attack were brought to Koopa Bros. Fortress with others from Koopa Village as well. Before we could act further on it, guess who decided to take care of them and save the day as always?"

"Mario…" he growled as his ruby eyes burned with fire.

"Precisely. It seemed whatever they had taken from the victims, he managed to return it. Most of the soldiers, who were among the prisoners, were able to escape without being noticed by Mario or the Mushroom guards, and they have returned safely. But a few of the others had…decided to go AWOL."

Bowser was crushing his fangs at the thought of his soldiers abandoning his army.

"We have already interrogated them, and those who attacked the two towns were a group of, as they called, 'machine monsters' from another dimension."

"Machine monsters?" Bowser arched his brow. "Just what the heck are those supposed to be?"

"Surely, my Rudeness, you haven't forgotten of what happened years ago?" Kamek spoke up, hoping to redeem himself. "That description sounds awfully like the fools who overran the castle and manipulated our army to serve them a few years ago." Bowser still didn't know where the Magikoopa was getting at. "I'm speaking of the Smithy Gang."

Bowser's eyes widen as it was finally coming back to him. He shot up from his throne and pounded the ground with his foot as smoke escaped from his nostrils. "You mean those robot freaks who kicked me out of my castle, tried to rule the world from right under my nose, and ultimately forced me to work together with that tiny, fat plumber?!!" he exploded, shaking the castle so hard he caused send pieces of the brick and dust to fall from the ceiling. The two Magikoopas cover their heads and hit the floor as they cowered.

"Please, my liege, calm down!" Kammy begged. "Yes, we have these reasons to believe they are the same group of invaders. But this also makes us believe they are the reason why Princess Peach had been missing for the last few days."

The castle stopped shaking and the two old sorcerers looked up to their king who ceased stomping the ground and gazed at the two with an offset expression. "Are you saying Princess Peach could be in danger now?" he asked less stern but still angrily.

"We are just making theories now," Kamek stated carefully. "The Sarasaland Kingdom was attacked by aliens in those past days, and Princess Peach went with her soldiers into the crossfire to aid them. But, neither the princesses had sent word of their status since then. It can't all be a coincidence as two major countries have been attacked, and it gives me more reason to believe they will come here as well as they did before."

The Koopa King was calming down as he sat back on his throne. Bowser may not be the sharpest of characters in the world, but he knew when things were looking bad. He remembered the Smithy Gang well. The groups of machine monsters murdered his soldiers as they attempted to find a way back to his castle. The different shapes and forms of the weapons he had to face were unlike anything he had seen, and they were like nightmares which swarmed inside his keep like a possessed home. Bowser had no reason to fear the alien monsters, but he knew perfectly well what they were capable of, and something had to be done.

"Your Dreadfulness," Kammy spoke to get his attention, "We need to prepare our castle's defenses for a possible attack, send word to the other Darkland territories, and continue to spy on the Mushroom Kingdom for any more news on what the enemy is planning. The little funguses have also realized the impending danger, and they are reconstructing Toad Town as we speak, stationing more of the castle soldiers, and having their little heroes come to protect the neighboring towns. As for Mario…"

The mention of the red plumber caught Bowser's ear holes.

"The last thing our spies learned was Mario left for the Mushroom Kingdom border to the south, and he's going into the woodland and marsh areas in the outer provinces. He's most likely trying to get to Sarasaland and find Princess Peach. What should we do about him?"

Bowser narrowed his eyes as he thought, surprisingly. He knew the Smithy Gang was tough, and he was only able to defeat them last time with his enemy's help. He just realized that he relied on the plumber's assistance for too many occasions in the past, and it shamed him. _"Not this time…"_ the Koopa King decided.

"I will have nothing to do with that mustache freak for now. Let him prance around for all I care! We have more important things to do."

"What are you planning, my king?" Kamek wondered.

"What do you think?!" Bowser answered quickly, surprising the two advisors. "I'm not just going to stand by and let anyone get the best of ME! We're going to ambush Sarasaland, show these robot wannabes who's the real conqueror here, and kidnap the princess before Mario reaches her. Once the army is up and at 'em, we're going to show these fools who's the boss!"

Bowser laughed proudly in the air as Kamek was applauding his king in his mind as he smiled with respect. However, Kammy looked at her ruler with an inconspicuously skeptical gazed.

"Are you certain that will be the best course of action?" the violet robed Magikoopa questioned. "Shouldn't we better study our enemy and understand their strengths?"

The king's laughing ceased as he lowered his head and glared sharply at the witch. "What are you saying, you old hag?" Bowser's suddenly sounded cold and frightening although it unfazed the witch. "I am the King of all Koopas, destined to rule all I lay my sight on. I will easily prove my wrath to all who are foolish enough to go against me, and my family's reign will last forever. Once before, you revealed this future to me." His red irises glowed at the witch and stared her down. "Do you doubt it?"

Kammy's expression was stale and her eyes were hidden behind the shine of her glasses. She looked up at her king as he impatiently waited for her answer. She opened her mouth and said, "Of course I don't. I was just mistaken. Forgive me."

Bowser still glared at the elderly Koopa, but he was satisfied with her answer. "Yes, of course. You were just being senile in your old age. I will look past it. Now leave me and report back when my army has recovered fully."

The two advisers bowed to him, and walked toward the exit. Kammy, however, was slower in her stride as her head was hanging down and she clutched her scepter. Before she closed the door behind her, her eyes were filled with resentment and worry.

____

It was the worst place for any piece of metal to end up. The enemy headquarters, their factory, had a deep underground cavern where few tread. The cavern was very dark with little pockets of light beaming from the ceiling. The bodies of crushed machines, malfunctioned weapons, and loose scrap stretched endlessly like a field, and the smell of machine fluids poisoned the area. The fixed expressions of the discarded machine monsters' faces pierced fear into their visitors, showing exactly the last bit of pain and terror they had to bare before they went offline. Arms and limbs poked out of the countless damaged bodies as if they hoped to reach and drag anyone down into the depths of the graveyard.

Only one machine dared to actually crawl and venture through the cavern, to dig and dismantle the machines monsters for useful parts, and made it seem it was his own personal playground to do as he pleased. The Producer, Viral, was on another exploration. In the dim light, he had the appearance of a teenage boy with red hair sticking up. He still wore the same oversized lab coat to hide his unseen body, his square glasses glint on the little light provided from the ceiling, and a dirty bag to place his findings as he diligently scavenged for parts. He tore their heads off to look through their surviving memory data and circuits, and ripping the bodies open to check for usable components, giving them no respect whatsoever.

On the other side of the cavern on a cliff above the graveyard, the two other executives, Envy and Dominion, watched as Viral made his usually rounds. Like the others, they didn't dare get close. Envy had a face of disgust and bitterness, while Dominion simply stood there unchanged, though it was hard to tell if he had any emotion through his steel mask.

"Look at him. He's been down there for hours, indulging himself with every piece of machinery and weapon he tears apart. I can't stand the sight of the freak," Envy sneered with her eyes turned the other way.

"He was tasked to create a new Mecha, if you recall. He's likely doing just that," Dominion reminded her.

"I don't understand with Lord Metelai would want to create these abominations. All he needs is me and my never dying love to please him," she swooned at the thought.

"Are you still going on with this fantasy?" the masked cyborg asked.

"It's true! I love him! He's the only one for me!" Envy barked.

"Has it even run across your processor that he only sees you as his slave, his subordinate? He would not and will not hesitate to scrap you and put you in this place if you fail him too many times. It might have even come to that if I didn't intervene last time."

Envy face was heating up as she snarled at her executive. She stepped up in front of him and quickly created green shards from her nails as she aimed them at the man's throat.

"You listen to me," she whispered spitefully, "I never asked for your help nor do I intend to ever ask for it! It was simply a rough start for me. Next time, I will prove my usefulness to him that he will come to me and embrace me with true affection."

Dominion didn't move but seemed unaffected. He looked down at the smaller woman and let the crystal nails scrape at his throat. "You really are desperate aren't you? However, I have no intention to further object to your impossible ambitions. At least you have something that drives you to want to exist beyond your programming…unlike some of us."

Envy winced at the man's comment for a moment. She relaxed her expression and lowered her arm as she turned back to the stretching graveyard. "Dominion, someday, you're going to have to let it go and move on. That's all I'm trying to do," she admitted.

The white coated man rubbed his esophagus as his joined his partner to watch Viral in the distance.

The scavenger continued to dig in the rubble, completely ignoring the company behind him. No matter how many machines he dug up and ripped apart, nothing was of interest to him. He feared he might not find what he needs to please his lord. Viral stood up in frustration and was prepared to leave until he saw something that stuck out from all the other pieces of junk. It looked like an older form of machine monster. He walked up to it to get a better look. It was badly damaged with several bullet holes punctured in its striped design and dents. Its faced was half scorched and nearly impossible to make out. Unlike all the other destroyed machines, it was one of the few which were still intact. He took out the parts he tore from the scraps and glanced back and forth rapidly between them and the machine monster as he calculated in his head. After a moment of developing ideas, the Producer shifted his glasses and revealed a pair of illuminating silver eyes which stared maliciously with a crooked grin.

He grabbed the machine's head and effortlessly pulled it out of the mound of bodies and dirt. He dropped it back on the floor and scattered the extra parts all around it. With the area set up, Viral reached in his bag and took out his most prized component, the powerful essence retrieved by the Manager from a green clothed man. It glowed intensely in his hands and it seemed to send sparks throughout his body. He ignored the electrical sensations and threw the essence over the circle. Suddenly, a green aura surrounded the machine monster and the scattered parts, and they started to levitate. The green aura turned white and the light expanded in the cave. The light was nearly blindly, but Viral stood there with eyes wide and a cackle escaped in his laugh. Pieces of the machine monster were detaching itself, the body was reshaping, and it was reconstructing itself with the parts and wires in the process. The silhouette hid in the light until it burst in a flash and the shockwave shook the entire area.

Both Envy and Dominion felt the sudden release of energy and nearly lost their balance. The Chief was the first to regain his composure as he focused his gaze at the scene. Envy followed right after, and her yellow eyes stared in the same direction as her jaw slowly fell.

"What…is this…?" she whispered loudly.

The light diminished, but instead of one figure standing, there was another looming before Viral. A wide blacken crater with scorched metal scraps was left under their feet. The second figure was concealed in the darkness, but its shape looked stout yet tall, and its head was donned with crazy hair sticking out in every direction. The only thing that could be seen were its eyes which looked bugged out and stared in two different directions.

"Nyeh, heh, heh, eh…" it chuckled under its breath.

Viral looked up at his creation and smiled dementedly. "Greetings," he finally spoke in voice. "I am your creator, I have made you operational, and you must obey. But even we serve a greater lord. Come, I'll introduce you to him."

With that, Viral collected his belongings and walked toward the exit. The new Mecha quickly responded and followed him, and the two other executives were left to wonder what kind of monster the Producer had unleashed this time.

____

Elsewhere in the enemy fortress, in the central dome area where they held meetings, a single Shyper stood before the Smithy Gang leader, Metalai, shaking nervously as he had to deliver bad news of recent events. Metalai sat relaxed in his throne in the shadows, but he was infuriated as his eyes burned with anger at the insignificant machine monster.

"It was as I predicted," the lord spoke. "That creature, Mario, has already begun to interfere…and you say he easily destroyed Groggu?!"

The poor Shyper backed up and cowered at its lord's booming voice. "Y, yes, my l, lord…and he also f…freed all the Essences and hostages we c, captured," it meekly stuttered, regretting what it just revealed.

"What of our soldiers stationed in the capitol?" the lord demanded.

"F, Forgive me, my lord. They were w…wiped out by an unknown assailant. We're investigating him as we s, speak."

Metalai heard enough, shot from his seat, and throw a bolt of black energy at his subject, nearly missing it as the Shyper jumped, but it left a deep mark in the floor. The Shyper glanced back at its lord who still had blazing eyes.

"Get out of my sight," he growled softly through his teeth. The machine monster wasted no time and bounced out of the room with due speed. Metalai sat back down and clenched his hands on the armrests.

"Gee, I was really hoping you had destroyed it; I could have used its parts," a voice spoke in the air.

The machine lord looked down and saw his subordinate, Viral, as he casually strolled up to the center stage and bowed with his usual disturbing grin. "Good day, Lord Metalai, and how are you, today?" he asked in friendly tone.

Metalai simply narrowed his glowing eyes. "I have no patience to deal with your idiocy. Unless you have something important for me, then get out," he warned.

"Oh, but I do, my lord," Viral continued his cheerful act. "I just finished making that new Mecha for you, and I must say, I'm really proud of it. Do you want to see?"

The news of his new Mecha certainly caught his interest. "Bring it here," he commanded.

Viral nodded, turned his head back, and whistled for it to come from the dark entrance. In seconds, a figure stepped out of the darkness and toward the two spectators. The Mecha could be better seen in the lit room. Its round, stout body had vertical red and white strips with small, circular, grey hatches integrated in the designs. Its limbs were thin, the hands were rounded with three digits and wore black gloves, and its boots were pointed and arched backwards. The Mecha's face was still hard to see in the lighting, but one could tell its crazy parted hair was green. It looked up with its purple bug-eyes toward Metalai's gaze.

"So this is what you spent the few Mushroom days creating?" the metal lord cocked his head. "It does not seem very impressive."

"Ah, but how appearances can be deceiving, my lord," Viral disagreed as he wagged his finger. "This fine fellow is more unique than the last one because I specifically designed it to be more efficient in collecting Essences."

Metalai slowly raised his brow in interest.

"By using that unusual Essence given to me, I have upgraded a previous model which has the potential to target numerous victims at the same time swiftly and silently," he explained.

"I knew this machine looked familiar." Metalai scanned the Mecha thoroughly. "This was a model designed in my predecessor's time, wasn't it?"

"NYEH!!" the Mecha yelled suddenly. "Got thrown away like trash he thought. Creepy red head give to me new life. I show what can do this time!"

The room was silent after the machine monster's nearly incomprehensible dialogue.

"Apparently, it still has speech impairments…" Metalai stated as he was losing faith in Viral's creation.

"Regardless, the powerful energies from the Essence proved to be effective, and the Mecha has literally…evolved, if I dare use the word. It only goes to show that star energy can be very valued in our development…" Viral looked down at his arm where five ghastly sliver nails stuck out from his dirty lab coat as he grinned wickedly. "…just look at what it has done for me."

"Enough of your blathering," Metalai interrupted his subordinate, "This Mecha could be worthwhile, and we need to extract Essences more quickly to find the Artifacts. What have you decided to call this model?"

"Wow," Viral replied as he scratched his head, "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

The Smithy Gang leader sighed in annoyance. "Well, _think_ about it as you and your creation target the town that lies between the southern forests and the coast outside the Mushroom Kingdom."

Viral stopped scratching as his silver eyes opened wide behind his glasses. "D…Do you mean you're…actually…l, letting me…_outside_?" he muttered in disbelief without looking in his lord's concealed eyes.

"Why not?" Metalai asked as he rested his head in his hand with a small hint of amusement. "You could use the fresh air…that is if a machine ever needed to breathe. Just have some fun…I know _you_ will create some much needed chaos down there," he smiled in the darkness dementedly.

Viral was shaking slightly, but not in fear, but in excitement as his twisted demeanor was becoming more apparent with a more crooked smile. He stopped his jitters, grabbed his coat and ripped it off. Underneath his white lab coat, he had on entirely different attire. He now wore a dark red shirt with oil streaks and a brown belt across his chest. His pants were black nylon with the legs tucked inside his black leather boots. Over his shoulders, a dark blood colored jacket with silver markings in the edges and collar draped down to his thigh. His left hand was covered with fingerless white gloves, but the other was still hidden in his oversized right sleeve.

He gracefully bowed to Metalai. "Thank you, my lord."

Viral turned around to his Mecha and snapped his fingers for his Mecha to follow him as they both left their lord's presence. Two new terrors were about to make their appearance in the Mushroom World.

____

Back on the earth, it was early in the afternoon. A new stretch of terrain became the setting. A few miles outside the Mushroom Kingdom were the Other Lands (Just a name for these areas in Super Mario RPG), domains which were strange and different compared to the fair kingdom. To enter these new territories from the east, one had to travel through the underground sewers which have become rather safe in recent years, and exit into the wetlands beyond the Midas Falls.

A large pipe hidden in the shrubs stuck out beside the cliff of the cascades. From within, the known red capped hero, Mario, grabbed the green rims and climbed out, landing gracefully on his feet. He surveyed his surroundings, and saw the clear water running downstream into the Midas River. He knew he was on the right path. The short plumber began to walk down the side of the river with a calm face. He remembered earlier in the day when he actually received a letter from the two princesses…

____

_**Dearest Mario and Luigi,**_

_**I am well and so is Princess Daisy. You must be worried after we haven't replied in the past week. The terrorists in Sarasaland were more formidable and unexpected than we thought. But, it is much worse than that. I have found out that they are truly the Smithy Gang! I don't know how it can be possible, but then, I'm not sure if I'm mistaken. A few of us were able to escape Flora Castle, and we are in good hands with the Sarasaland guards. To elude our attackers, we decided to hide on the Easton Islands for the time being. You will be able to find us there. I don't know how this will turn out for everyone, but I promise I will be strong for them. I have faith that you two will be able to help us and stop this evil. But, always be sure to take care of yourselves.**_

_**From,**_

_**Princess Peach**_

"_Ah, dear princess, you are safe. Thank goodness," Toadsworth sighed in relief. _

_At last, Mario and Toadsworth finally understood the situation. It eased their hearts to know the fair maidens were fine, but Mario's face returned to be worried. "It's great that we know where they are now, but there's still a problem: how can I get to Easton with the ports damaged?" _

_Toadsworth scratched his white moustache as he pondered. Then, an idea quickly rattled the old steward's fungus cap. In the Other Lands, near the forests, a village called Rose Town had built a new port since their location made it ideal for importing tropical goods from the southern islands. Toadsworth had a friend who worked at the Rose Port who before worked in the royal shipyard. Her name was May Toad or May T. If Mario found her, she would be happy to give him a ride. _

_So, it was decided. _

____

Mario's hopes were beginning to come back to him. Despite everything that had happened so far, he continued to strive forward and fulfill the princess's wish.

The Midas River seemed a lot farther walking on foot than when he rolled down on a runaway barrel the last time he visited. He realized the ground was becoming soft and slippery, indicating he was reaching the marshlands, though there were rock walls on either side of the area. The air was warm and sticky, making it hard to breathe in the vapors. The trees also began to change, mixing palm trees and swamp oaks together. Insects buzzed around the plumber's face, and many critters crawled around his scuffed boots. He was glad he wore his older pair of shoes.

A couple of minutes went by. The end of the river came into his view and saw an expansion of water in the horizon. Mario knew right away he would soon enter the reclusive area of the frog inhabitants, Tadpole Pond. It had been such a long time since he came into these different domains from his other adventure. He wondered how much had changed.

He put the thought aside when he noticed dark clouds rolling in and a sudden boom of thunder. Just as fast as he figured a storm was coming, he found himself getting soaked by a drizzle of rain. Mario quickly sprinted toward a tree and hid under the leave to stay dry, but in less than a few seconds, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared up just like that. The red plumber stuck his hand out from the tree's shadow then scratched the side of his head in confusion.

"That was certainly weird. I've heard of short showers, but that was ridiculous," Mario commented as he wrung out his cap. "I should really remember to bring an umbrella." He decided to shake it off and continue on his way.

As he stepped from under the tree, he spied something floating downstream in the water. As Mario strolled up closer to it, his face changed to horror. It was a single tadpole, however, it was unconscious and its usual black skin was dull and graying. The red clad hero ran up to it and gently pulled it onto the riverbank. Its breathing was diminished, and it felt cold in the plumber's hands. He flipped the tadpole over and found a puncture on its underbelly. What was weird was that there was no sign bleeding or scarring, and the wound itself was a whitish color and it spread evenly around the skin.

"_I wonder what happened to it," _Mario thought. He picked up the injured tadpole into his arms and held it tight, hoping his drenched clothes would keep it wet. "_This has the Smithy Gang's name written all over it._ _I should take the little one back to its home, and I know there's someone who can tell me what's going on here."_

Mario resumed walking down the path to the Midas River's end with the little tadpole in tow.

___

It was a place where a person could be taught wisdom, enlightenment, and tranquility by the race of tadpole inhabitants. Few came to the solitary lake because it was well hidden, and its name was barely known by those outside the region. Mario weaved through the thickening marsh and the moss hanging from the trees until he found a clearing path. As he stepped out into the opening, a new scene spread before them. The still waters of the pond were colored a soft green grey by the algae. There were many isles rising from the pond, and they were just as luscious in grass and trees as the mainland.

Despite the wondrous spectacle around them, Mario began to find something suspicious. There wasn't a single frog or tadpole to be found. He knew Tadpole Pond was a quiet place, but there would still be some kind of activity and not this eerie silence. He proceeded cautiously and decided to put the fatigue tadpole in his arms in the water. Slowly, Mario rested the small one near the edge of the water and splashed it a little. After he thought he got it wet enough, he stood and shouted, "Hey, is there anyone here?!" Waiting for a moment, there was no response.

Mario readied himself to yell again, but he quickly turned around as he heard rapid footsteps charging from behind. He jumped and dodged to the side away from the assault and kicked the attacker in front of him. Mario took a look at the figure and saw a hooded midget towing a large sack on its back. He knew right away it was a thief, a Crook to be exact. They mostly thrived in the marsh areas near Rose Way. He wondered what one was doing way out here. It was even stranger that there was only one trying to mug him; they usually came in...

His question was answered when there was another rustle and crack behind him, and two more Crooks stepped out of hiding. Mario had to act fast.

His opponent in front of him reached in its cloak and threw a dagger at him. Mario luckily moved out of the way and quickly swung his leg at the Crook's side. While it was out of the way, the plumber dashed toward the other two Crooks and launched a fireball to get their attention. They snickered and glared at their victim as they were ready to pounce on him. But the thieves were fast themselves, and the one Mario just attacked got back on its stubby feet and all three surrounded the plumber in moments. Mario steadied himself as he glanced at the three Crooks. One tried to get him from behind, but Mario elbowed it in the head. At the same time the two others lunged and grabbed his arm and leg, hoping to slow him down. Mario remained calm as he began to spin himself around. He went faster and faster like a tornado, not getting dizzy at all, unlike the two Crooks who had swirls in their eyes and were losing their grips. Finally, he stopped suddenly and sent the two muggers flying in the air and throwing them into the water.

But the danger wasn't gone yet. The first Crook got back up and growled at the plumber as it pulled out three more daggers from its cloak. To the side, the other two thieves crawled out of the water, dripping wet, and also snarled at the plumber for humiliating them. Mario had to step back as the Crooks stepped toward him menacingly. After a second of silence and a stare down, the three enemies thrust at the plumber with incredible speed, and Mario flared up his hands to brace himself for the attacks, only for a blinding flash to veil over his eyes with white light.

**CRASH!!!**

A loud crackle and bang pierced their ears, and an explosion hit the ground right next to them, sending dirt into the air. A few seconds later, the sound quieted and the dust cleared. Mario uncovered his eyes to find the ground in front of them scorched. In the radius of the attack, the three Crooks were black and charred, sprawled unconsciously on their backs.

"Wha…what just…?"

Somehow, the Crooks got up again, but they immediately panicked, thinking it was Mario who hit them, and they ran off in the other direction with their tails between their legs. He perked his ears when he heard thunder, and when he looked up in the sky, dark clouds had quickly dissipated. Putting the clues together, an idea came into the plumber's head.

"Is it me or were they struck by lightning just now?" Mario asked not believing it himself. "There's no way that could happen, can it?"

"Actually…yes. They did get a little jolt…from _me_," a small voice laughed.

A low wind blew at the back of the mustached hero's head. He slowly turned around to the source of the cheerful voice to see he was just staring out across the pond. Then he noticed a round shadow staying perfectly still on top of the water. Mario glanced up above the shadow to find a short plump figure hovering above them, but his eyes widened as he slowly recognized the person over his head. After so long, Mario didn't expect to see him again, a friend he met on a past adventure against the Smithy Gang and who learn his own heritage. Riding on a Lakitu's cloud was the crowned prince of a kingdom in the sky; his name was Mallow.

He was a type of cloud creature with a soft and round, cream colored body. His arms and hands were thick, and his legs seemed to be longer from the past, but they were still stubby, making him shorter than Mario. His pink hair had also grown, covering most of his large head. Mallow was clothed roughly the same as before with his light blue striped pants, pink shoes, and brown belt, but he seemed to look more formal with a silk vest with gold embroideries over his shoulders, and golden bracelets and headband around his wrists and forehead.

"I know that 'stache anywhere. Long time no see!" the young cloud boy waved. "Bet you're surprised to see me, huh?"

The stunned plumber stopped gawking and gave a small smile as he chuckled. "Well, I think it was obvious. I can't believe it's really you! How have you been?" he asked.

"Eh, you know," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "Being fluffy, doing all that royal stuff, things like that." Mallow's sarcasm went away when he saw the tadpole floating near the edge of the water by Mario's feet. He quickly descended on his little cloud and picked up the unconscious creature with a worried look. "Oh no, not another one…"

"Another?" Mario repeated. "I found it on the bank of Midas River. I thought I'd bring it here and find out what's going on."

"Good call, Mario," said Mallow, his expression stern and serious. "This little guy isn't the only one sick, and with so few of them left, the bandits have been trying to take over. I'll get the others over here." He placed the tadpole back in the plumber's hands, and levitated up in the air. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey everyone, come out! Our buddy Mario is here!!"

In a few moments, little black heads stuck up from the water and from behind the isles. They were the tadpole residents of the pond coming out of hiding. Once they heard the announcement, they all rushed up to the visitors with their tails flapping for joy. It was a happy sight for Mario to see some well looking faces, but noticed something odd about the scene.

"Mallow, I'm sure there were more here than this. Where are all the others?"

The young prince floated back down next to Mario with a sadden look. "Well, you see…" he began.

"I'm afraid they are all ailing as well," another voice spoke.

Out on the water, a figure was gliding across the surface on two tadpoles. Mario immediate knew who it was as the figure came close toward them. He was known as the sage of Tadpole Pond, a wise amphibian who was the mentor of the tadpole inhabitants and any visitor who came to seek knowledge, enlightenment and tranquility. He stepped softly on the bank with his green webbed feet and balanced himself with his wooden staff. He fixed his purple hat on his head, and then he stroke his long white beard with his other hand. His big eyes remained closed, but there was no doubt the elderly frog was in touch with all of his senses.

"Greetings," he spoke as he scanned his guest. "It is a pleasure to have you here again in our home, Mario. If memory serves you, I am Frogfucius." Mallow bowed to the frog sage, and Mario followed his example and bent down, too. Frogfucius took his staff and walked over to the red plumber, staring at him with an intense gaze. He then smiled under his beard. "It has been a while hasn't it young one?" he finally spoke.

"Likewise," Mario grinned.

"Your arrival was sooner than I anticipated. I apologize we didn't properly welcome you, but we have been in disarray for the past few days that we decide to hide and wait from our danger," Frogfucius explained.

"How did you know I was coming?"

"Didja forget, Mario?" Mallow spoke up, wagging his finger. "Grandpa can know everything that happens around the world. The waterways of the planet always bring news to his ears." He stopped waving his finger and his big eyes glint with seriousness. "That's why you don't need to tell us who the bad guys are causing the trouble."

Mallow didn't need to say anything else for Mario nodded his head as he understood. "I still can't believe the Smithy Gang is back, but it's true."

"Come. Let's retire to my sanctuary. We'll speak more there," the sage instructed. He turned to tadpoles that were floating around the injured one. "Take him to the others and I will treat him shortly." They nodded their heads and swiftly swam with their friend to the other side of the pond.

Frogfucius floated toward his isle on his two tadpoles while Mario and Mallow followed behind him on the Lakitu's cloud. Shortly, they reached the frog sage's abode and the two heroes sat around Frogfucius' table before him. The elderly amphibian lay down his staff and poured three cups of herbal tea. He offered the beverage to Mallow, who quickly began to sip it; however, Mario simply shook his head, declining the drink.

"You should really learn to relax, young one. Calming the nerves can do wonders for one's state of mind," the sage advised the plumber.

"I can't help it," Mario admitted. "Usually, I _am_ more easy going than this, but for some reason, I'm much more tense and anxious."

"I can understand," Frogfucius continued. "This man named Metalai is disturbing to me, as well as his followers we have seen so far. As before, the Smithy Gang is filling our world with their machines and weapons, spreading fear into people's hearts. Even after all this time, we still many secrets behind the Smithy Gang and their origins. And their new tactic, collecting Essences, the core of a person's being, is strange, different, and unforgivable."

"Which reminds me, what are you doing here anyway, Mallow?" Mario wondered.

The cloud prince looked up from his cup of tea. "Back home in the Nimbus Kingdom, everything was as normal as usual, but then we saw that huge rip in the sky. It looked like trouble so I came down here to check on Grandpa, and he filled me in of what you've been up to in the last couple of days. But at the same time, we've been having our own trouble."

"The tadpoles, right?"

"Yeah," Mallow answered. "About a day or two ago, during the nights, a few of the tadpoles were found sneaking away from the pond. Then, early the next day, we found their bodies unconscious with those strange marks."

"They must have lost their Essence to the Smithy Gang; I just know!" the short plumber figured.

"And it's not just us who are in danger," the sage added. "I've been trying to feel the movements of the waters near Rose Town for some time, and yet, they are unnaturally still, a strange phenomenon…

"Just why is it that they are collecting these things?" Mallow asked.

"I met this one guy who said there's a power within three separate holders, and only this power can stop the Smithy Gang from what they are trying to do. I don't think they know who these people are, which might explain why they have been attacking in populated areas, and I don't know what this power even looks like."

"This other character, Aero, if I recall correctly…something about him is both suspicious and familiar at the same time," said Frogfucius as he contemplated. "He seems to know much about the Smithy Gang and their plans, and though he shows resentment toward them, his actions to go against them are not completely justified. I can tell he means well to stop this evil, but his sense of humility is questionable. I suggest you keep an eye out for him on your travels, and you must also find a way to into that dimensional rip where I'm guessing they are hiding out," the frog instructed.

Mario nodded his head and crossed his arms as he took in the sage's words. "I'll be sure to remember that, but first things first. I have to find Princess Peach and Daisy and bring them home, not to mention saving Sarasaland. Toadsworth told me Rose Town has a new port and their boats can take me to Easton Island. But if you think there's trouble over there now, then we need to act fast and solve this mystery."

"I couldn't agree with you more," said Mallow as he hopped on his feet. "I've been itching for another one of your adventures. Plus, these new guys sound like they mean business this time; you're gonna to need all the help you can get."

"Are you sure, Mallow? Don't you have responsibilities now that you are the prince of the Nimbus Kingdom?" Mario protested.

"Sure I do, and one of those is bringing good ties with other rulers and their kingdoms, say 'helping save the two princesses?'" the little cloud hinted. He stepped over to Mario and whispered in his ear, "And between you and me, my dad would rather me fighting bad guys and getting that autograph from you than for me being all princely back home."

Mario immediately blew out a laugh, knowing Mallow was completely right about his old man.

As they were snickering about it, Frogfucius walked over with a long box in his webbed hands. "If you will be joining Mario on his quest, then you'll need this." The sage opened the box and displayed a wooden staff, completely polished to a smooth shine. Mallow was taken away by his grandfather's gift, and without words, he took it graciously, bowing slightly at him.

"Wade through the swamps of Rose Way and you should reach Rose Town by sundown," Frogfucius instructed. "I wish you luck in defeating our enemies."

"You can count on us, Grandpa! Let's do this, Mario!"

"Okey dokey," The red clad hero replied, shaking his old partner's hand for their team. The tadpoles quickly returned and carried the two heroes back to the shore, and they ran in the other direction to the south of the wetlands and toward their next destination.

____

Not too far off in the Mushroom Kingdom in an unknown wooded area, a dark figure stood before a terrified Lakitu who was sitting slump down against a tree. It was Lakino, the special mail deliverer who recently gave Princess Peach's letter to Mario. His goggles were smashed on the ground, his red helmet was cracked, and his cloud was separated from him and injured, evidently by its aching expression.

"Please mister, don't hurt me," Lakino whimpered as stared at his attacker's dull grey eyes.

"Don't worry squirt. I won't do anything as long as you tell me what I want to know. That was your job wasn't it?" said the assailant.

He crouched down to the Lakitu and held his mailbag which had the Sarasaland royal seal on it. As the wind blew and shifted the tree branches, the late afternoon light shined down on the attacker's face, and to Lakino's surprise, it wasn't the Luigi who he was searching for. Mr. L held the seal up to the frightened Lakitu's face with a calm yet wicked smile.

"Now, what's this about my brother going to Sarasaland and where can I find him?"

____

**Mario may have some old help back by his side again, but it seems everyone has their own agenda to fight against one another. While Bowser decided to stay out of the plumber's way for a while, the Smithy Gang has unleashed a new terror upon the citizens outside the Mushroom Kingdom under the command of the mysterious Viral. And with Mr. L closing in on Mario's trail, what will happen once these opposing enemies clash? Will the Artifacts eventually turn up, and who will be the one to get to them first?**

**Next time…**

**Mario: **We finally made it. Now let's see if the villagers can tell us anything.

**Mallow: **I don't know. This place is lookin' kind of empty if you ask me.

**???: **Awesome! It's you guys again. I know that you'll be able to help us out like before!

**Mario: **Guys, watch out! Whatever is out there knows we're here!

**Viral:** You will not escape me! I'll be sure to show you the true terrors of my creations!

**Mallow: **What's that bright light?!

***???*: **I will not allow this chaos to continue. It's about time the Stars take part in this battle.

**Episode 7: **_**The Guardian of Wishes Appears! **_

____

**A/N: **

-Though it has only been a few games, Bowser has been becoming more of a **protagonist** character, if only to help himself, especially in the RPG series, as in _**Super Mario RPG**_,_** Super Paper Mario **_and now in the new _**Mario and Luigi RPG 3**_. And while Bowser is trying to refuse help from Mario in the story, he slowly realizes the potential Mario has had for years, which is what he is trying to prove wrong.

-I have always imagined **Kamek** and **Kammy** would always fight each other, trying to impress Bowser for his approval, although, the character **Kamek** hasn't really made a confirmed appearance in the present day Mushroom World other than in _**Yoshi's Island DS**_. He's been confused many times with regular Magikoopas. In _**Super Mario RPG**_, there was a Magikoopa that helped Mario and friends in the Bowser's Keep area. He may not be Kamek, but I chose to make him so, giving him some relevance from the game into this story.

-I was inspired with the underground cave areas in the beginning of the **Gate** level when I created the scene with Viral.

-A **boss** from _**Super Mario RPG**_ will have a **cameo** appearance in this segment.

-Mario was referring to when he jumped over barrels in the **Midas River minigame course** in the game.

-Later in the game, where you meet Mallow's parents, **King Nimbus** had a childish demeanor and was a big Mario fan, constantly asking for his **autograph**. Even a "**smudge**" would tie him over.

-Mallow's basic weapon was the **Froggie Stick** which belonged to his grandfather, but I made it into a staff for a cooler appearance and it's still similar.


End file.
